


Listen to your heart, idiot

by NinjaPenguin21



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:41:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25261021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NinjaPenguin21/pseuds/NinjaPenguin21
Summary: Korra and Asami start their final year of high school. Korra dislikes Asami for no real reason but just can't seem to get her out of her head.
Relationships: Bolin/Opal (Avatar), Korra/Asami Sato, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Senna/Tonraq (Avatar)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 152





	1. She’s worse than my shadow

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first actual piece of writing (that wasn't a 5k word worldbuilding history) so comments and critiques are appriciated. (After getting a few chapters in, I think my writing did improve).

_ Korra was alone in a dimly lit space. Her heart was racing and her breaths were shallow and quick. Her hands felt something silky and smooth. Wait, she wasn’t alone. There was someone else in front of her. Korra could make out red lips and long hair. Hair that her hands were in. The other person’s breathing was quiet but just as quick as hers. _

_ She wasn’t scared, just surprised. Korra knew she wanted to be here, wherever that was. She went to take a step back but found herself up against a wall. The figure in front of her leaned in and purely by instinct Korra closed her eyes. She felt a warm breath against her lips and she opened hers ever so slightly in anticipation. The first second of the kiss sent a shock all throughout her body. However, as the sensation faded Korra could no longer feel the warmth of the person in front of her and could taste caramel in her mouth. _

_ Shocked and confused, Korra opened her eyes to see she was in some sort of building made out of candies. The figure in front of her was melting into an ice cream-y puddle. Other statues lined the walls around her. Her gran-gran with a disapproving look, her first-grade teacher, that guy she worked with over the summer… _

Korra awoke from the dream and tried to recall the bits and pieces. She had no idea what the whole candy museum was all about but the first part had proved her feelings for a certain someone beyond a shadow of a doubt.

* * *

_Four weeks earlier…_

It was Korra's first day of 12th grade. She was excited to be back and to begin the new year. She was actually dressed and downstairs before her mom even had breakfast ready! Scarfing down the food as soon as it was ready, Korra then went to the door to make sure that she had everything that she needed.

Binders? Check.

Pencil case? Check.

Lock? Check.

Locker decorations? Check.

The grade 11 Chemistry textbook that she had found under her bed when she was rearranging her room? Check.

Gym bag? Check.

After brushing her teeth and going over all her stuff once again she decided to leave early.

"Bye, Mom!" Korra called as she opened the door, "I'll see you after school!"

She had gotten to the end of her driveway when Senna called from her front door.

"Honey! You may want this." Her mom held up Korra's phone. She handed the phone to Korra and gave her a kiss on the cheek "Have a great first day."

Korra lived pretty close to Air Temple High School. If she was willing to cut through the park and get her feet wet from the early morning dew, she could walk there in about twenty minutes.

As she walked onto the pavilion in front of the school, Korra saw an older Satomobile stop at the drop-off area to let out a black-haired boy with a grey polo shirt on.

"Bolin!" Korra yelled as she ran across the pavilion.

"Korra!" he responded as he was wrapped up in a hug. "It has been too long that we have been apart" he proclaimed as he kneeled down and raided one hand to the sky and the other to his heart, "Alas, the universe could never separate us forever. The spark of life has returned to my existence!"

"Shut up, Shakespeare," interjected Mako from the driver's seat, "You saw each other three days ago. Come on Bo, grab your stuff or else I'll be late for my lecture."

Mako had started his first year of university two weeks earlier. He and Bolin lived with their grandma and their extended family on one floor of the Ba-Sing-Se apartments.

Korra and Bolin went inside to check her schedule for this semester.

"Advanced Functions, Chemistry, English and Fitness," Korra said after she got her paper. "I always looovee to start my morning off with math."

"Well, I've got Theater in the morning followed by a spare and English and Chemistry after lunch," Bolin responded. "I think this semester is going to be just fine!"

First period was not great. She wasn't awful at math but it was hard to remember things from last year at nine in the morning. It didn't help that the only other person in the class that she knew was Asami Sato.

After Chemistry and lunch, she walked into Tenzin's English class. She liked Tenzin. He and Korra's father were good friends and she had babysat his kids once or twice. Bolin sat at a table containing the last two empty chairs and waved her over when Korra walked in. The bell rang and Tenzin closed the door and walked to the front of the class.

"Good afternoon, class," he said just as Korra sat down. "As a bit of a warm-up activity, you and your table will be discussing a short story called _The First Day of Schoo_ l and how your experience differs from the kids in the story. Tu, could you ple..." He was interrupted by a knock on the door. Tenzin opened the door to reveal Asami behind it.

"Principal Moon gave me an updated schedule. I'm now in this class." she said, "sorry that I was late."

 _Great_ , thought Korra. _Now we have two classes together_. Her disappointment grew exponentially when she realized that the only empty seat in the room was beside herself. She let out a huff.

She spent most of the class doodling on her paper, staying out of the conversation.

Korra couldn't actually pinpoint a reason why she disliked Asami. Asami had moved to Air Temple High at the start of the second semester last year from some snooty, rich-person, private school. She had then been placed in a grade twelve law class with Mako. At the start of summer, she and Mako had gone on a couple of dates. Asami and Korra should have gotten along well enough but they didn't. That may have been due to Korra's crush on Mako and her envy of Asami, but both of those things didn't last the month.

If all those feelings were in the past, why did Korra still dislike her?


	2. The more you know

The rest of the week passed without incident. Korra still had too much Asami in her life and though she liked Tenzin and the class in general, she would have much preferred it with only herself and Bolin at the table. At least she could be excited about football tryouts starting Monday. Korra had played half of last year's season as the quarterback and had brought them to the semi-finals before getting knocked out by the Empire Metal Mechs in what had been a very close game. Being on the field was Korra's biggest joy in life. Her team respected her judgement and her agility and strength made her a formidable player in a scrape.

That wasn't for another two days though. Currently, she was over at Mako and Bolin's apartment sitting on the couch playing through Portal for the five hundredth time. Bolin and his girlfriend Opal were sitting on the ground in front of her indulging in one of Bolin's "guilty pleasures," children's colouring books. A box containing markers, crayons and coloured pencils of every conceivable colour sat between them.

"I am Mr. Dinosaur, a destructive, laser-eyed menace who has  _ impeccable  _ fashion sense!" Bolin said in a deep and vicious voice as he held aloft a picture of a dinosaur in a tux shooting lasers from its eyes, "Bow to meee!"

"Mr. Dionsaur is dead and his spirit would appreciate peace and quiet as much as I would." huffed Mako from the dinner table behind the couch, "Weren't you guys supposed to do some homework?" 

Mako was right. They had planned to finish their work for Monday together but after an hour and a half of no-so-dedicated study time, they decided to fully commit to relaxing. They had the whole weekend to finish the rest of their assignments.

"Chill Mako," said Korra, "It's just the first week of school. It's all just busy work and revision from last year. Nothing that we can't handle." She looked down at Opal's dinosaur. As opposed to her boyfriend who let free his inner child, Opal added detail to the lines already on the page and created some stunning backdrops for her subjects. The reflection of her brachiosaurus glittered from a pool surrounded with lush vegetation.

Turning from his dinosaur Bolin looked at Mako. "Why don't you join us, bro? What do you still have left to do?"

"I've almost done my physics and I haven't even started my chemistry or criminology," replied Mako. "And I need to get all that done before work tomorrow."

"If you have time for all that, then you should have plenty of time for us too." rebutted Bolin with completely unwarranted confidence.

Mako's eyebrows raised, his head turned and he started to open his mouth before closing it again and blinking in disbelief.

"Tha... That's not how that works."

Bolin still kept his smug look on his face.

"It... It makes no sense?" stuttered Mako.

In the end, Bolin's patented brand of idiocy won out. Mako hopped over the back of the couch and picked up the other controller and joined Korra. After playing through a few levels Mako spoke.

"Sooooo...... Bo's been telling me that you've been pretty quiet in English class lately. Not enjoying Master Arrowhead's class this year?"

"No, no. Tenzin is fine. It's just who's in the class." responded Korra. She paused the game and turned to face Mako.

"So it's Tu? Our cousin is an annoying doofus sometimes but he can't be bad enough to shut you up," Mako joked, "Who is it?"

"It's little miss Asami Sato," said Korra gruffly, "She gets on my nerves for absolutely no conceivable reason. If I don't have anything to say, I might as well not say anything at all."

Mako turned to face Korra and stopped his attempts at making jokes.

"Asami and I certainly had some issues between us and honestly not sure if we're over them. I never really had the chance to talk to her after we broke up." Mako paused. "I don't really know why you don't like her though. You two never hung out much. You could try getting to know her?"

Korra remained silent. Naga was the only one who knew about her crush on Mako and Korra was pretty sure her loyal dog wouldn't snitch.

"I guess she's a bit too... prim and proper? Like isn't she a bit  _ too  _ rich for Air Temple High?" Korra lifted her gaze to meet Mako's, "Her dad is CEO of a huge car company. Why is she even here."

"I don't honestly know. Asami didn't really seem to like sharing much about her life before coming here," said Mako. He looked up at the ceiling and ran his hand through his hair, "I only visited her place once to go swimming. I do remember seeing some medals on a shelf though. They were for some martial art. Judo? Taekwondo? Something like that."

That surprised Korra. She always assumed that Asami ranged somewhere from dancer to one of those gym girls with the yoga mats and the kale smoothies. She pushed a controller back to Mako and unpaused the game.

After Bolin and Opal were all coloured out and their drawings were hung on the fridge, they decided to give homework another shot. This time it was better and Korra felt that she had accomplished enough to justify stopping.

Korra felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and pulled it out to check who it was from. She started to type a reply but stopped.

“Opal? When are you leaving?” Korra called from the couch.

“I don’t know? Five? Six?”

“Can I get a ride from your mom? My dad is out with the car and I need to be home for dinner.”

After sorting out the rides and texting her mom, they spent the rest of the evening bugging Mako and playing cards until Opal’s phone buzzed. She kissed Bolin on the cheek and motioned Korra to get up. They dropped their cards on the table and went outside the building. Mrs. Beifong was outside in her minivan.

“Hi honey, hi Korra,” she said as they piled into the backseats, “How was your day? Got all your work done?”

“Uh, yeah.” replied Korra, “We had a very productive day.”

The rest of the way back they made small talk about how school was going and what classes Korra had. The Beifong’s lived pretty far away and they all attended Empire High School, Air Temple’s rival. Though Korra disliked most of the Empire students, the Beifong’s were pretty ok.

Thanking Opal’s mom as she exited the car, Korra walked up her driveway and into the house.

Korra spent the evening wondering about Asami. Mako was right. Korra knew very little about Asami. Scratch that, Korra made it a point to know very little about Asami. She had no desire to bond over some shared interest or let alone consider becoming friends, but irrationally disliking Asami wasn’t going to get her anywhere. Korra was going to get to the bottom of this.

* * *

Korra opened her eyes in the morning and looked at her clock.

_ Quarter to seven. Ughhhh. _ The thoughts from last night were not gone. She needed to get up and do something.  Slowly sitting up and rubbing her eyes, Korra looked to Naga at the foot of her bed. She had one eye open and her tail started beating when they made eye contact.

"Quiet girl. Let me get up and then we'll go for a walk," whispered Korra.

Pullin on her Air Temple High Sky Bison's sweater and a pair of jogging pants, she and Naga went downstairs. Korra grabbed an apple from the kitchen and put on some shoes.

Like the apple, the morning air was crisp and sweet. She and Naga started walking towards the school.

Naga was a big white Samyod who at times could be Korra's best friend or an oblivious nuisance. Korra loved her so much.

The walk over gave her time to think about last night with a clearer head.

_ I have decided to stalk Asami _ . That was basically what she had decided to do, wasn't it?  _ What else am I going to do? Talk to her? _

Korra did not want a two-way conversation there. If anyone wanted to know anything about her, they could talk to Bolin. He would let anything slip eventually.

Getting to the field behind the school, Korra reached into her pocket to grab the ball for Naga.

Shoot. She had forgotten the ball and her phone. She looked around for a decent stick. There were some pretty big trees near the front of the school but nothing good underneath them. However, there was a dead branch not too far up in one of the trees. Leaving Naga's leash on the ground, Korra backed up and took a running start at the tree. In one fluid motion, she took a step off and up from the trunk and grabbed a hold of a branch.

_ Wow _ . It had been a while since she had climbed a tree. Swinging forward, she pulled upwards with her arms and ran her feet up and over the branch. Now lying atop the lowest branch, she wiggled around awkwardly until she was crouched down. She stood up and grabbed the dead branch. With a sharp tug, she broke it off and It crashed down to the grass below. She sat herself down on the lowest branch and prepared herself to jump off.

She had just enough time to process and Oh no before she landed with her left foot on the branch and the other on the ground. She knew that she had twisted it slightly even before it started to hurt.

I've dealt with worse, Korra thought. She broke off a good-sized stick and she and Naga slowly started to walk back to the field. Walking slowly was fine for her ankle and she didn't need to move that much to play fetch with Naga. After getting her shoes suitably wet from the early morning dew, she decided to start. Naga still had her prized stick in her mouth and was toting it proudly.

Senna was in the kitchen when she got home, looking out the window as her coffee was brewing.

"You're up earlier than usual," she chuckled, "did someone steal my daughter?"

"No, mom, I'm still here," responded Korra as she went to get some cereal for breakfast, "I just woke up awake and decided to give Naga some fresh air."

"Good for you then," said Senna as she smiled. She grabbed an extra cup of coffee and walked upstairs.

_ So I have decided to stalk Asami _ , thought Korra as she opened Instagram. She still felt a little uneasy about it. After not getting any results from typing in variations of Asami's name, Korra decided to scroll through Mako’s followers. After not finding anything on the first look thought, Kora spotted something when she scrolled back up. A photo of a black-haired teenage girl in a dark red crop top and black jeans was leaned against a classic car with the same colour scheme. It was undoubtedly Asami.

_ So I have finally found you miss @as2217.s. _ I suppose being the daughter of an automobile tycoon, Asami wouldn't want to be too easy to find. Clicking on the account, Korra was unsurprised to find that the account was private. What did surprise her is that Asami only had 45 followers. I mean, Korra wasn't unpopular but she had close to double the amount that Asami had. Should I make it 46?  _ Following someone doesn't mean that you like them… _

Scooping the last bit of cereal from the bowl, she clicked the follow button and pocketed her phone.

She spent the rest of the day watching Youtube and studying for her fitness quiz on muscle groups. Though she definitely did her best not to think about Asami, she still checked her Instagram every so often to see if her request was accepted.

“Korra, the game’s on!” yelled Tonraq from downstairs.

“Who is it?!” yelled back Korra.

“Bears vs. Lions,” responded her dad, “the game to determine the best of the worst!”

“Maybe. Probably. I’ll be down soon!”

“Would you two stop yelling!” shouted her mom.

“SOOOORRY” shouted both of them at once.

Korra had completely forgotten that the NFL started up this weekend. She and her dad tried to make a point of spending their Sunday afternoons together watching the games. During the commercial breaks, she got her dad to quiz her on her flashcards. Tonraq had been a professional hockey player when he was young before retiring and becoming a city councillor. He knew enough about fitness to help her out.

“Achilles Tendon,” stated her father, “What does it do.”

“It connects the calf muscles to the ankle.” correctly answered Korra.

“Speaking of ankles, I saw you limping a little bit going up the stairs this morning. Are you alright?” inquired her dad, lowering the flashcards and resting his hand on Korra’s shoulder. “If you don’t feel good enough, don’t go to practice tomorrow. You’ll only worsen the injury.”

“I’m fine dad, I just stepped on something weird while walking Naga this morning,” Korra smiled reassuringly, “I'll be perfectly fine by tomorrow morning.”

Throughout the afternoon, they went through the flashcards two more times, and a bag of chips.

After dinner, Korra packed her lunch for tomorrow and got her books and binders ready by the door. The evening games were rather boring, between teams neither her or her dad cared about. Korra decided to turn into bed around ten-thirty. As she walked upstairs, her phone buzzed.

_ @as2217.s accepted your request _

Another appeared as soon as she opened her phone:

_ @as2217.s requested to follow you _

Korra swiped the first notification away and plugged her phone in upstairs before getting ready. She wasn’t sure what to do about the second notification yet.


	3. The collision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This entire chapter can basically be summed up with this line (https://youtu.be/Mg1RnAGncBQ?t=20).

Korra didn’t have time to worry about Asami the next morning. After realizing that she had snoozed her alarm four times instead of the usual three, she leapt out of bed… onto her bad ankle. Korra pulled on a white tank top black jeans and tied her favourite blue flannel around her waist as she hurried as quickly as her ankle would allow her downstairs for breakfast.

Senna had put a bowl with cereal on the table for her and then set about getting Korra’s lunch out of the fridge. “What happened to Ms. Morning Person from yesterday?” she joked.

After a rushed breakfast, Korra finished packing her bag, brushed her teeth and thanked the spirits that she didn’t wear makeup. Checking her phone she realized that she still had half an hour to get to school. Plenty of time, even with a sore ankle.

Korra said goodbye to her mother and walked to school. She caught up to Bolin at his locker.

“Hey Korra!” he said. He had a bag full of clothing and assorted items that were surely for his theatre class. “Excited for another mathy morning?”

“No, not in the slightest.” grumbled Korra, “what's in the bag?”

“Varrick wanted us to do a skit from a time period. I am a young, orphaned, factory worker in the middle of the industrial revolution.” said Bolin in a dignified voice, “I’ve got to get ready now. Want to meet me here at lunch?”

Korra shot him a thumbs up and started walking to her locker. Korra set her binder down on her desk in math class and only just then realized that her pencil case and calculator was still in her locker. If she hurried, she would have time to grab it.

While cursing her ankle and how it slowed her down she didn’t notice Asami had turned into the doorway. Korra slammed into Asami, knocked her binders out of her hands and shoving her backwards. Korra barely had time to process that Asami was falling before she unconsciously grabbed her. Korra's arm was wrapped around the girl’s back, pressing the two of them together. Their faces were inches apart and Asami had a death grip on Korra’s bicep. Asami’s vibrant green eyes were wide and Korra could faintly smell the product in her hair. Korra could feel a red heat overtaking her ears and cheeks. Asami’s mouth was agape in a look of total shock and a blush was taking over her face as well. It took them a second to take stock of their situation and another to decide what to do about it. Korra took a step back and yanked Asami upright again and Asami released her hand. Asami’s binders were on the floor. One had popped open, releasing all of the papers and notebooks onto the floor.

“Oh my god! I took the corner too quickly and I didn’t know you were coming and I..., I’m so sorry!” stammered Asami as she bent down to collect her stuff.

“No no no, it’s all my fault, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and I slammed into you…” Korra bent down to help her collect the papers as well. It was only then that she realized how much she was blushing.  _ Spirits, that was embarrassing _ . She took a look at the notes that she was picking up. A welding safety sheet, notes on what looked like engines and fuel and a sketch of something.  _ Asami? Mechanical Engineering? Really? _ Korra didn’t think that Asami, multicoloured notes and fancy pens Asami, would be taking Mech Eng. Korra passes the papers back to her and after apologizing one more time, ran off again to her locker. She returned after the final bell but avoided a late slip considering she had forgotten something. 

Korra spent the rest of Math class staring at the back of Asami’s hair. Asami Sato was the daughter of Hiroshi Sato, inventor of the Satomobile. It would be reasonable to assume that she would have an interest in cars and stuff like that. And her grip! Korra’s arm had hurt for a couple of minutes afterwards. The mysterious Asami just kept prompting more questions.

Bolin and Korra spent their lunch on the steps to the doors beside the sports equipment room. Korra was massaging her ankle hoping that it would be fine for football this afternoon. She really didn’t want to miss the first practice, even for a good reason.

The only sounds back here were the wind in the shrubs and the sound of them both eating. “How did your skit go?” asked Korra to break the silence.

“Oh, good, good.” Bolin said as he swallowed his noodles, “It was certainly well received and Varrick praised me for ‘not letting the truth get in the way of a good story.’” He slurped up some more noodles. “But he didn’t tell us he was going to make us do in-character improv afterward. But I suppose that’s the point.”

After his noodles, Boling pulled out a pack of cherry candies and popped one in his mouth. “Want one?” he said, extending the package.

“Sure, why not,” replied Korra, opening her hand. As she went to stick it into her mouth the smell reminded her of something else that day. After a moment she remembered what it was: Asami’s shampoo. The only difference was that the candy smelled sweet whereas Asami’s hair was deep and smooth.  _ Jeez, she even smelled rich.  _ The conversation then shifted to where and when they would meet up with Mako and Opal again.

Korra was once again graced with Asami’s presence in English class. The aftermath of the collision that morning was obviously present when Korra sat down at the table and tried not to blush. Asami gave Korra a hint of an embarrassed smile and scooted her chair away slightly. Bolin was to Korra’s right, and Asami was on the other side. There was only one thing that could make this class more awkward for Korra…

“All right class, today we will be reading  _ The Lottery  _ and answering in  _ groups _ .” started Tenzin.

There. It. Was. Tenzin was very fond of teamwork but working with Asami was not something Korra ever wanted to do again.

Korra tried to concentrate on the short story that they needed to read but the smell of Asami’s hair was a nuisance. Though Korra never noticed it before the collision that morning, she found herself unable to block out the deep scent of cherry. Seeing that Bolin and Asami were almost done reading, she skimmed the last few paragraphs and turned to the questions.

“So, should we split them all up? We can do three each and finish quickly,” suggested Korra as she grabbed a sheet of lined paper from her binder.

“I think it would be better if we quickly brainstormed each one as a group and then developed them on our own later.” refuted Asami, “...unless you really don’t want to” she added.

Korra really didn’t want to but before she could say something Bolin agreed.

He turned to Korra. “Asami is really smart. And frankly, I don’t understand half of the questions….” he whispered.

Realizing that it was a two against one Korra agreed as well. “Sure, that seems like a better idea.” in a slightly dejected voice.

Bolin did have a point, Asami was very smart. She and Korra were each able to provide a different viewpoint to each question (mostly due to Korra internally refusing to accept that Asami had the best answer). Occasionally Asami would reach across Korra to point something out to Bolin or bite her lower lip when she was concentrating. Korra found watching Asami work incredibly distracting and it annoyed her to no end. However, by the end of the class, they had more than enough ideas and examples for each question and Bolin finally seemed to understand what was going on.

Just as the first few students were getting ready to leave, Tenzin stood up to assign homework. “Your answers to these questions are due tomorrow where we will discuss them. The next two days will be spent on writing a group essay on the dangers of tradition.”

The bell rang and Korra started walking to the door. Before she could exit she felt a hand on her shoulder.

It was Tenzin. “Korra, could I ask you a favour?”

“Sure.” said Korra, “What do you need?”

“I don’t know if your parents have told you yet but the four of us are going out Friday night. I was hoping you could watch the kids for a bit,” asked Tenzin.

“Sure I don’t see why not. They could come over to our place. Is it ok if Mako, Bolin and Opal were over as well?” asked Korra.

“That should be fine. Just watch your language and don’t do anything dangerous. You all are pretty good kids.”

With that Korra waved goodbye and left to get ready for fitness. She only did a light arm and upper body workout that class as she didn’t want to stress her ankle or tire herself out before football. Feeling happy with what she did she sat down on a bench and opened her phone. She hadn’t swiped away the second notification from last night yet.

_ @as2217.s requested to follow you _

Korra might as well check out what Asami’s three posts were.

The oldest one was from two years ago. It was the same one that was in her profile photo, red and black Asami in a crop top and jeans leaning against that car. Her face in the picture radiated pride and joy. It was different from the reserved and quiet Asami that Korra knew from school. The caption read: “You’re as unique as my fingerprint…” Korra looked back at the photo. The car was undoubtedly a Satomobile, probably one of the earlier models from the ’80s. Asami did not seem like the girl who would boast about her custom made car or generally flaunt her riches. Korra could only assume that Asami had modded the car herself. Korra felt a pang of shame. She didn’t even have her license yet and Asami had been a fully-fledged mechanic at sixteen.

The next post was taken last November. Asami stood on a podium holding a silver medal in a grey and yellow school uniform. It seemed strange to see her in something that wasn’t black or red. A banner behind her announced that it was a grade 11-12 citywide math competition hosted by Republic City University. The thought of doing math outside of school was jarring to Korra. Was there anything that Asami wasn’t good at?

The most recent post was from last summer. The first slide was a photo of Mako, taken at a cafe downtown. His eyes were closed, his eyebrows relaxed and his smile was filled with pure happiness. He held a cup of green tea in both hands. Mottled shadows and light fell on him. Pictures like that reminded Korra about why she had had a crush on Mako. The next slide was a picture that Mako must’ve taken. It was a candid photo of Asami looking at something out of frame. Vines covered the window behind her and the light that passed through silhouetted Asami’s sharp jawline and shimmered on her glossy, black hair. Her cherry lips were open slightly and Korra could just see how the skin at the edge of the eyes crinkled. She couldn’t deny it was a stunning set of photographs. She looked at the date once again. July 18. They had broken up less than a week later.

Korra looked through the photos a few minutes longer and put away her phone when the bell rang.  _ What to do, what to do _ . Accepting that request would be admitting that she didn’t really mind Asami.  _ But was letting her follow her that big of a deal? Did it really matter that much? _ She pulled out the phone again, clicked on the notification and pressed accept.

_ @as2217.s started following you _

Korra let out a breath she didn’t know that she was holding. There. Nothing had changed. She had no desire to become best friends with Asami. She lifted herself off the bench and went to get her cleats from her locker before walking out to the field.


	4. Unexpected friends, fury and fun

Korra could tell that her ankle hadn’t yet healed. She couldn’t step through on the throw hard enough to pass as well as last year. She tried not to move as much after getting the ball snapped to her. Her team didn’t seem to notice her injury but Coach Gan did. He was built like a bear, large in every sense of the word. Despite his lumbering physique he had a keen mind and could see exactly what was going on with Korra that day.

“Korra! Here. Now.” he bellowed.

Korra complied and jogged over. 

“What do you think you’re doing? Your ankle is obviously injured.” chastised the coach in a lower voice. “You’re a stellar player and I do admire your dedication. I just don’t want you hurting yourself. Take a seat on the bench and you can give input to some of the new players.”

“Thanks, coach.” Korra smiled at him and turned her attention back to the field. “Most of our offensive line left us last year and I don’t see too many really big guys.”

“We’ll deal with that when we get to those drills. It also seems you’re not the only girl hoping to be on the team this year.” Korra had noticed who Coach Gan was talking about. She was about the same height as Korra but looked twice her weight.

After another few minutes of throwing, catching and running routes, Coach Gan gave the group a rest before the blocking drills.

Korra took the time to chat with the other girl. She scooted over on the bench to give the other girl some more room.

“Hey, It's good to see another girl on the field. What’s your name?” said Korra, trying her hand at small talk.

“My name’s Madi.” said the girl, sitting down and catching her breath, “I know who you are. You made me want to join the team.”

Korra blushed a bit. “Thanks,” she said nervously. She took a better look at the girl. Her hair was reddish-brown and was kept in a high bun and there were freckles all over her cheeks and arms. Some people may have said she was overweight but Korra could tell she was strong. “Have you played football before?”

“No,” Madi replied, “I did a rugby camp last summer but since there’s no team at the school this was the next best thing. Other than that, I made it to nationals in discus and shot put when I was in middle school.”

“Nationals!?” Korra said with surprise. Madi certainly wasn’t cut out for running and catching, but she did have a powerful throw. “What position are you trying out for?”

“Center, hopefully,” responded Madi.

Their conversation was cut short as Coach Gan called them back onto the field to start the drills. Korra went back out there as well. While the coach talked to the lines, she started briefing the receivers on some of the common routes that they would run. After that was all cleared up, they practiced the snap. Madi was a very good center. Though she wasn’t as big as some of the guys, she was practically immovable. Her snaps had a good spin and were for the most part on target. Practice went on for another half an hour before Coach Gan sent them back inside the school to change.

When Korra got home she showered and went downstairs to set the table for dinner.

“Hi Korra,” said Senna from the kitchen, “how was practice?”

“It was good, I spent most of it walking or on the bench because of my ankle though,” said Korra, with a hint of dejection in her voice.

“Good. I don’t want to have to visit the doctor so early in the season.” replied her mom. “I’m sure you’ll be back and as strong as ever in no time,” she added reassuringly.

Korra finished up with the table and sat down on the couch. It was only until she opened her phone back up and saw Asami’s Instagram that she realized football had been the only thing on her mind all afternoon. Her moment of contentment passed as she thought about the English homework and the group essay. That was going to be an issue for after dinner. She checked the scores of the games from last night and spent the rest of her free time scrolling through social media.

After dinner, Korra went upstairs to start her homework. Math wasn’t due until Wednesday and she had finished almost all of her chemistry. For English, Korra only had to structure the jot notes they had worked on in class. She was about to leave her seat when Bolin texted her.

_ B: Can ya send me your English notes? Forgot my binder _

Korra quickly snapped a picture and sent it.

_ B: Thx :D _

_ K: np _

Korra was downstairs getting her lunch for tomorrow ready when she felt her phone vibrate.  _ Probably Bolin asking about something. _

_ B: I don’t get why the point of view was effective. _

Korra started typing a response when another message appeared.

_ A: It’s because the third person limited kept the reader in the dark about the true nature of the tradition until the very end. _

WHAT?! She hadn’t noticed it was a group chat? Bolin had named it Essay eses with a sombrero emoji beside it. Korra stuffed her phone back into her pocket and started cutting vegetables more aggressively than before. It felt like Asami was slowly invading every spare moment of her life. Why was she so irritating and why couldn’t Korra get her out of her head. She could almost smell the shampoo and see the light reflecting off of her glossy black hair.

“Korra, did Tenzin talk to you about watching Jinora, Ikki and Meelo on Friday night?” Senna asked.

“Yeah, we already planned it out. He’ll drop them off here and he's fine with Bolin, Mako and Opal being over.” huffed Korra, adding quickly, “As long as you’re fine with that.”

“That should be fine.” said Senna in a calm voice, “Are you alright?” She walked over and placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder.

Korra turned away and stepped out of her mom’s reach. “I’m fine Mom.”

She went downstairs to deal with her frustration. Her dad had converted half of the basement into a small home gym and had hung a punching bag from the ceiling. It was a good way for her to blow off some steam but Korra hadn’t used it much recently.  _ Not since Asami and Mako were dating. _ Korra slipped on some gloves and started punching away.

“Stupid,” she growled through gritted teeth.

_ Punch Punch. _

“Get.”  _ Punch. _

“Out.”  _ Punch. _

“Of.”  _ Punch. _

“My.”  _ Punch. _

“HEAD.”

Korra spun around a hundred and eight degrees and donkey kicked the punching bag with a violent  _ THUD _ . She dropped to one knee wincing. Spinning about was not great for her ankle. When she looked up she saw her dad standing on the bottom step, his arms folded and a hint of concern in his eyes.

Silently he walked over, grabbed a set of target mitts from the cabinet and squared up opposite Korra.

They spent the next few minutes just circling each other, the silence only broken by the smack of Korra’s punches.

“What’s up, kiddo.” her dad said, “Your mom thought I should talk to you.”

Korra tossed a few more punches before responding. “There’s just this person in a few of my classes who I find  _ incredibly _ irritating. And I don’t know why!”

“I find your Uncle Unalaq incredibly irritating. But that’s probably because he's my brother.”

“But the thing is I’ve barely ever talked to this person. I’ve got no reason to dislike them.” Korra dropped her hands. “But for some reason, I can’t get them off my mind.”

“I don’t know how to solve your problem, but I can try to help. If you're anything like me, something quiet and alone like reading won’t take your mind off it. You need to immerse yourself in something for a while. Do something where you can’t afford to focus on anything else.” Tonraq took off his pads and put both of their pairs back in the cupboard. “Your mom wanted to bake some more cookies tonight. Maybe help her out with that.”

“Does that mean I get to eat half of them?” Korra said, a smile returning to her face.

“We’ll see.” chuckled her dad as he laid a hand on her shoulder.

The baking went well. Senna was happy that Korra was feeling better and they started on the cookies. Putting on her mom’s Kitchen Sink playlist Korra started getting out the ingredients. It had been a while since she had done any baking with her mom. Between singing along to the music, trying not to get flour everywhere and Senna defending the bag of chocolate chips from her hungry husband and daughter, Korra had no time to think of Asami.

By the time that the cookies came out of the oven and were cooled down, it was drawing near ten at night. They had already cleaned up the counter and the dishes. Korra was most definitely better suited to sports than baking as the batter and flour covering her clothing proved but it was still good fun. Korra had a smile on her face as she fell asleep that night.


	5. The good, the bad and the ugly

Korra woke up refreshed, not having even snoozed her alarm. The sun creeping through her curtains illuminated the dust in the air, making them sparkle like glitter. Korra turned out of her bed and gingerly tested her ankle, rolling it back and forth before standing up and taking a few steps around her room. It was still slightly stiff but seemed good enough to run and walk without injuring it further. From the foot of her bed, she heard panting and the thump, thump, thump of Naga’s tail against the carpet.

“Good morning girl!” said Korra as she crouched down to scratch Naga’s neck. The thump of her tail grew louder as she rolled onto the side, exposing her belly. “Does someone want belly scratches?” Naga’s tongue flopped out of her mouth as she wiggled her way completely onto her back.  _ This is the best part of waking up, _ though Korra as she scratched her big, white dog.

She decided to wander downstairs in her pyjamas. Nobody else was downstairs yet and Korra set about breakfast, warming up her appetite with a cookie. After eating, getting dressed, brushing her teeth and hair, Korra was all ready for school with plenty of time to spare.

She put her shoes on and walked over to her mom who was on her phone at the kitchen table. “I figure I’ll take Naga out for a walk before I leave,” said Korra. 

“That sounds like a good idea. Do you mind if I tag along?” replied Senna, turning in her chair, “I just need a second to put on my shoes. We can wander around until we get to school.”

“Sounds good. I’ll already take Naga out back,” said Korra as she turned to go grab the leash. “Here girl! Wanna go for a walk?” Naga suddenly came tumbling down the stairs, her nails skittering across the kitchen floor as she reached the bottom. She narrowly avoided crashing into the kitchen table before coming to a stop in front of Korra. She slipped the collar onto the big, white, furry beast and led her out the back door.

Coming around to the front of the house, the three girls set off on their walk.

“I grabbed your backpack from the front door. I figured you’d want it,” said Senna. Korra took it from her and slipped it onto her back.

They spent the next few minutes walking in silence, listening to the wind in the trees, the cars driving by and the sound of birds, squirrels and other animals. They ran into a few other dogs in the neighbourhood and let Naga say hello for a few seconds before tugging her along again.

Korra’s mom broke the silence. “I’m really glad that you’re feeling better this morning. Your dad told me some stuff about your conversation last night.” Korra hunched her shoulders a little bit and dropped her gaze.

“I’m fine. It’s really not a big deal. Or it shouldn’t be.” She didn’t want to be reminded of the whole Asami business right now. “I don’t want to talk about this right now.”

“Ok. One last thing though. Maybe try to open up and be nice to this person.” Senna said as she turned her gaze to the morning sky, “You’re incredibly stubborn but try to make a conscious change for the better. I just want you to feel happy.”

Korra was not pleased by the request in the slightest. Being indifferent to Asami was already hard enough, let alone being nice. She needed to change the subject.

“Where are you and Dad going on Friday?” Her mother started to answer but Korra was caught up inside her head thinking about Asami. Asami was nice to her, and looking back on English, she did try to engage Korra in conversation.  _ I am being a bit of an ass to her...  _ Korra felt pretty bad about that. But Asami didn’t really need her help. Clearly, she was capable of doing anything. She was also just generally nice to everyone. Not that Korra had been paying attention much.  _ A compromise. I’ll try to avoid her but work together when needed. Hopefully, she’ll get the message and find someone nicer to… _

Korra was yanked forward by Naga desperately pulling the both of them towards a signpost.

Senna checked her phone. “Anyways, I think it’s time to head back over to the school,” she said.

Korra tried to remember what her mom had said while she was lost in her head. Something about bingo at the Inuuqatigiit Centre and tickets to a show. It really didn’t matter. Korra and her mom parted ways a few hundred feet from the school so Naga wouldn’t try to give kisses to every student arriving.

“Have a good day at school,” Senna said as she took Naga’s leash and gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks, mom, I’ll see you tonight,” replied Korra as she hugged her mom. “Bye girl.” chuckled Korra as Naga gave her a kiss goodbye as well. She gave them both one last wave as she walked backwards to the school.

* * *

Math class came with the promise of a review test next Monday. Korra managed to keep her eyes on her teacher, the board and her notes all class. It was easier to not think about Asami without staring at the back of her head all class.

Another review test was assigned for Monday in Chemistry. Korra could feel her weekend slipping away slowly. She spent the period writing notes and doodling beside them, counting down the minutes until lunch.

She met Bolin at their usual spot near the equipment room. “Do you want to come over to my place Friday? Tenzin’s kids will be there.”

“I’m assuming that Mako and Opal are also invited? But yeah sure! I like having the kids around. Jinora and Ikki can fill me in on all the gossip and Meelo and I can colour some stuff―remind me to bring my books and colours.” Bolin rambled, “It’ll be fun!”

In Korra’s eyes, Bolin’s apparent immaturity was one of his redeeming features. He could get excited about almost anything and was never ashamed about that. Bolin never pretended he was too cool for something. The only downside was…

“About English...I never did it then and stayed up until 2 am and I was so tired I spent my spare napping, sooooooo, can you maybe, ya know, help me finish my English homework?” Bolin opened his binder and smiled sheepishly.

The only downside was self-restraint.

Bolin asking her for help actually felt good though. Korra saw it as a little reminder that she was better than Asami. “Sure, just let me eat a bit first,” responded Korra. She opened her lunch kit and was excited to see that her mom had sneaked in two cookies.  _ Aw, yeah! _

Bolin managed to write a few rough sentences for the last few questions that he hadn’t done. Korra looked over his shoulder, making occasional corrections or getting him to better explain what he was thinking. Bolin was a natural actor but analysis and writing did not come as easily to him.

Bolin had just pulled out his sandwich before the lunch bell rang. He quickly scarfed it down and managed a muffled “shee ou shoon” as he and Korra split.

“Hi Korra,” smiled Asami as Korra sat down in the middle seat at their table. She already had her homework in front of her on her desk. Everything about Asami looked organized, her thin leather jacket, black on the outside and her iconic maroon colour on the inside complimented her shirt and her elegant black skirt. Her hair flowed over her shoulders like a glossy black ocean and there seemed not to be a single strand out of place. However, a small grease smear marred the perfectly smooth skin just in front of Asami’s right ear.  _ Sooo close, too bad,  _ though Korra smugly.

The sound of Tenzin’s voice snapped her back to the present. “First we will be going over the answers to the question from your homework last night. The first question was ‘How does the initial setting fool the reader?’ Anyone?”

Korra’s hand shot up, and Tenzin let her speak. “The setting lures the reader into a false sense of security by providing a quaint town in the summertime as the setting.” That felt good. Her eyes glanced over to Asami who also was tentatively raising her hand.

“Very good Korra. Do you have anything to add, Asami?” said Tenzin.

“I agree with Korra about the setting,” Asami started, sitting straighter, “but I would say that the small-town setting creates a casual atmosphere as the author describes the townsfolk talking and playing.”

“Excellent analysis Asami!” congratulated Tenzin. Korra’s triumphant feeling was soon replaced with annoyance. Asami’s answer was more specific.

She and Asami continued to refute each other's points on the following question until Tenzin asked them to let some other students answer. Asami turned to give Korra a smile. They continued to whisper their answers for the final few questions between themselves. Korra couldn’t help but enjoy the competition and found herself smiling whenever Asami let out an “Ohhh” after she came to understand Korra’s answer.

After the homework was done, Tenzin let them start on the group essay. It was due to be submitted by Thursday at  _ midnight _ . The last word was directed towards Bolin who had a bad habit of submitting his work in the early hours of the morning.

“I guess we should start with the introduction,” said Asami, resting the eraser of her pencil between her cherry coloured lips. That was logical. They could each write one of the body paragraphs and work together on the introduction and conclusion.

Sadly, the earlier competition between Asami and Korra started to devolve into needless arguing as they tried to create a plan. They couldn’t agree on the wording of the thesis, or whether or not the main points they were going to talk about supported their still unfinished thesis. Korra tried her best to keep her voice down, Asami hid her frustration save the occasional roll of her eyes and Bolin did his best to stay out of the way.

“Stop,” Bolin hissed after close to half an hour of the two girls arguing, “we have another 10 minutes to finish this. We at least need to get this done so we can work on it at home.” His voice softened and he turned to Korra, “Just listen to some of Asami’s ideas so we can get this done. Please.”

It took all of Korra’s self-restraint not to let her rage at her best friend’s apparent betrayal boil to the surface. “Fine,” she said through gritted teeth. She moved her chair away from the table and spent the rest of the class in silence, only very occasionally adding an “alright” or “ok” whenever Bolin or Asami asked for her opinion. As soon as the bell rang, Korra picked up her binders and stormed out of the classroom. She was glad that fitness was her next class.

Korra decided to take her anger out by wearing herself out on the weights. After tiring her arms and chest out, she showered and waited for the bell. The feelings of frustration and betrayal were still there, but her rage had lessened to more of an indignant pout. The bell rang and Korra walked out the front doors to head home. She was about to cross the football field when she heard a voice behind her.

“Korra, wait!” called Bolin, panting as he ran to catch up, “Can we talk?”

Korra rolled her eyes before turning around. “Ok, what,” she said with crossed arms.

“Asami told me to tell you that she was sorry about English class,” he stopped and took a deep breath to steady himself, “but she shouldn’t be. I really don’t want to be mean to you but you just kept shutting down her points and we got nothing done. You were just very stubborn.”

Korra was shocked that Bolin was saying this. He usually tried to avoid confrontation and he only ever argued with Mako. “I’m sorry!” she said sarcastically, “But at least I was doing some work!”

Bolin’s voice started to crack and lost its strength. “What’s your problem with Asami. She was just trying to work together.”

Korra felt the cold dagger of betrayal cut her open. “Well since it seems that you like her so much more than me, I’ll be going.” She turned on her heel and started running home.

Korra was glad that her mom and dad were out when she got home. She had started to cry on the way back. She dropped off her backpack in the kitchen and went upstairs to lay down. If betrayal had cut her open, her anger spilled out of her system like blood from a wound. She felt empty. Korra regretted talking back to Bolin. She had remembered what she had decided to do this morning. She had been a stubborn asshole and pushed Asami away because Korra refused to be wrong. She may not like Asami, but that was no reason to treat her like that. Asami had done nothing wrong to Korra. She got out her phone and started typing a message in their English group chat.

_ I am so sorry that I acted the way that I did in class. Asami, I'm sorry that I didn’t listen to your ideas and just shut them down. I should have been less stubborn. You have nothing to be sorry about. And Bolin, I’m sorry that my arguing made you uncomfortable. _

She hit send. Korra started to type another message to Bolin

_ I didn’t mean the things that I said. I just thought that you had gone and chose Asami over me because she’s so much smarter, kinder and just overall a better person. And you do help, I just made you uncomfortable and I get that. I really like having you in the group. And thank you for calling me out. I needed to deal with that. _

Korra put down her phone and sat on the side of her bed for a minute. After steadying her breath and wiping the tears from her eyes, she went to the bathroom to wash her face. Naga waited for her outside the bathroom and returned to her room with Korra. Asami and Bolin had responded to her messages.

_ A: Thanks for the apology. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better. You left before taking a picture of the plan. _

Asami had attached a picture of the essay notes from that afternoon. The prospect of confronting her after today filled Korra with shame.  _ I really was a jerk _ . She went to look at Bolin’s message.

_ B: I'm proud of you for apologizing to Asami. Hopefully, you two can learn to become friends. I know that I’m not terribly useful in English class and I really appreciate your help. There is no way that I would ever choose you over Asami. You’ve been my best friend for years. English class won’t change that. _

Korra released a breath that she hadn’t realized she had been holding. Facing them tomorrow was going to be hard but at least they wouldn't hate her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got a few more chapters ready, but I'll wait to post them in a few days. Life is starting to get busy again so I just want to have at least a few weeks worth of content saved up in case I can't write as much. Hope you enjoyed it so far!


	6. Give people a chance

_ Skreek. Skreek Skreek. _

The morning sky was overcast and just enough rain was falling that it warranted a rain jacket. The hallways were filled with the sounds of wet rubber on the tile floor as the students of Air Temple High trudged to their lockers before first period. Korra hoped that it would dry off before the second football tryout after school. Playing in the rain made the ball slippery and left even more mud and grass stains on their white jerseys than usual. She tried to shake some of the excess water off her rain jacket before hanging it up inside her locker. Grabbing her binders for the morning, Korra turned, cringing at the squeak that her damp shoes made, and walked off to math class. Judging by the clump of students hanging around outside the door, the teacher hadn’t shown up yet. Korra leaned back against a locker and pulled out her phone to check the weather for the afternoon.

“Hey Korra,” a friendly voice said, “what’s up?”

Lowering her phone, Korra saw Asami standing in front of her, her binders clutched to her chest and little droplets of mist decorating her hair.

“Uh, hi!” Korra said sheepishly, the memories of the previous afternoon coming back to her. “Sorry about yesterday. I was… kinda acting like a jerk.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you apologized though.” Asami leaned her shoulder into the locker beside Korra. “How’s your paragraph coming along?”

Korra froze. After she had apologized she had forgotten all about her English work. “Um,” she mumbled as she lowered her gaze, “I may have forgotten about it.” Asami looked slightly disappointed. “But I’ll start some at lunch before class. I’ll at least find some quotes to use.” she added quickly, hoping to save some face.”

“Perfect,” smiled Asami, “let’s head to class.”

The door to math class had opened and the students started filing in.

Korra kept thinking back to the conversation before class. Usually dealing with Asami was like listening to a staticky radio station or watching a video that kept buffering. It was an exercise in patience. But the conversation before class wasn’t like that. Part of Korra wanted it to keep going. _ Maybe I should invite her to eat lunch with us... _ She shut down that thought as quickly as it sprung up. They weren’t that close yet.

It stopped drizzling around lunchtime. It was still cold and cloudy and the air still felt wet, but the field would be dry enough for football. Bolin hadn’t started his English last night either so most of lunch was spent in silence writing down jot notes for their paragraphs, one of them occasionally asking the other if an idea was good. Bolin stopped writing and lounged back against the steps, looking out over the football field and to the hedgerows behind it.

He sat like that until Korra looked up. “I’m sorry about what I said yesterday.” he started, “I really appreciated your texts but I never said that I was sorry.” Bolin turned to look her in the eyes. “So, Korra, I am very sorry for saying things that may have hurt you and making you feel like you were betrayed.” He extended his hand. “Friends?”

“Screw that!” Korra beamed, swatting his hand out of the way. Tossing her binders to the side, she grabbed Bolin in a bear hug so tight that his face started going as red as the cherry candies. “There we go. Friends.”

All Bolin could manage was a squeak. Korra let him go and he took a big gulp of air.

“Jeez, Korra,” he said as his face returned to normal, “you’re going to kill me with that someday.”

They spent the rest of their lunch working.

* * *

Korra and Bolin walked into class and took their seats, feeling good with what they had accomplished over lunch. Asami sat down just before the bell rang, her hair tied in a messy ponytail. She looked less put together than usual. Asami and Korra had brought their laptops in to start typing up the essay. Korra opened up her laptop revealing the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power wiki. She and Opal had a slight disagreement over some piece of trivia and Korra needed to prove a point.

Asami leaned over to look at Korra’s computer, nudging Korra out of the way. Korra tried to open a new tab but it was too late. Korra wasn’t exactly ashamed of watching the show, but she didn’t want Asami to know how much of a nerd she was.

“No way, you watch that too?” Asami giggled. Korra felt her face going red despite her dark complexion. It didn’t help that Asami was  _ definitely  _ in her personal space.  _ Wait. She watched it too? _ Asami just kept surprising Korra, subverting all the expectations she had built up over the past few months.

“Uh, yeah? A friend recommended it to me.” Korra closed the tab and opened a new document. “Let’s get to work.”

Korra shared the work with Asami and Bolin and started typing up a rough draft of her paragraph. Asami only had to copy what she had done last night and offered to start working on the introduction.

“You all seem to be working together well,” Tenzin said proudly as he walked behind them. He gazed over Korra’s shoulder to read what she was typing. “Try using some more of the diction from the quote in your explanation,” he suggested, pointing at a section of text. He leaned over to look at Asami’s screen when one of the groups in front of them started laughing.

“TU!” he shouted, startling Asami so much that she almost fell out of her chair. Tenzin’s entire head turned red when he was angry. “CLOSE THE GAME AND GET BACK TO WORK.” he continued, marching over there to get the boys back on task.

Korra turned to Asami. “You alright there? No shell shock?” she said, chuckling nervously.

Asami brushed her hair out of her face and tilted her head side to side. “It’d be a shame to go deaf in one ear.” she joked in return, the colour returning to her face, “Never thought he could get that loud.”

“Apparently some kid was running around with scissors in his class a few years ago,” Bolin chimed in, “and Tenzin gave him a chewing out so loud that you could hear from the science labs.”

The noise level in the classroom returned to quiet conversation between group members and the three of them set about typing again. Korra and Asami had just started working on the conclusion when the bell rang.

“We can edit it tomorrow,” Asami said standing up and closing her computer, “See you guys tomorrow.”

Korra watched with a smile as she exited the class.

* * *

The weather was perfect for football: the overcast sky meant the receivers wouldn’t be staring into the sun, there was enough wind to stay cool but not enough to impact Korra’s throwing, and the grass had dried off significantly since lunchtime.

Coach Gan called the team in for a huddle after they had run some laps around the field for a warmup.

“Ok everyone,” he stated, “this is the final tryout so you all better bring your A-game. I’ll post the final team list and game schedule by lunch tomorrow.”

Korra and Madi were in the back of the huddle. Madi turned to Korra and nudged her with her elbow.

“Think I’ll make it?” she said with a twinge of nervousness.

“Oh, yeah, definitely.” Korra replied in a reassuring whisper, “You’re the best snapper I’ve ever seen and even the biggest guys couldn’t budge you.” That made Madi smile.

The team split off to practice, Korra leading the offensive players to go over the playbook and start figuring out her group’s strengths and weaknesses. They went through different routes and blocking tactics for the next half an hour. Korra couldn’t throw as far as some of the male quarterbacks but she was nimbler and could pass accurately while on the run. Madi would be able to hold off most of the middle on her own while the rest of the offensive line could block the defensive line from closing the pocket.

After Coach Gan called a break and explained that he was going to pit the offence versus the defence for the rest of practice. Before the team went back onto the field, Korra called her team in for a huddle. She was starting to know her lineup for this season better and the defensive side hadn’t changed much since last year.

“Ok, Lanuk,” she said pointing to a skinny, dark-skinned, receiver, “I’ll put you on the outer left, about a yard from the edge. You’re the fastest person on the team. Lose your man and circle to the right side, about 15 yards out. The rest of you make sure that you keep the right clear for me to get a clean shot. Some of those defensive guys are tall and I don’t want to throw over them. Let’s go!” Korra felt good. This was her team, her element.

After about an hour of moving back and forth across the field, Korra was pretty sure she knew who was best where, where her lineup needed to compensate and who wasn’t cut out to be on the team.

After practice, she went to talk to Coach Gan.

“Again, you did well out there,” said the coach as Korra took her helmet off and approached the sidelines, “you made some smart decisions on the field and I have to say that all the players have a lot of respect for you.” Korra beamed at the compliments.

“Thank you, coach,” she said, “I think that despite the fresh players, our offence will be even better than last year.” Her voice grew more serious, “I just think that there are some players who aren’t cut out for the team. Lao is tall and fast, but he relies on his hight too much. If he keeps ignoring plays and is blocked against someone just as tall, he’ll be useless.” 

“Hmm, I didn’t notice that. Thanks for letting me know.” replied the Coach, twiddling with his pen pensively. He let Korra air her grievances about some other players, occasionally making notes on his clipboard.

“I should be heading off,” he said checking his watch. He patted Korra on the shoulder, “We’ll make a coach of you yet.”

Korra waved to him as she walked back to the change rooms. Korra liked Coach Gan a lot. The man seemed to live by the proverb, “While it is always best to believe in oneself, a little help from others can be a great blessing.”

Upon entering the girl’s change room, she saw Madi sitting on the bench with her head in hands. She was already changed. Korra could tell something was wrong and sat down beside her.

“Hey,” she said softly, “you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just stressed out about the cut tomorrow.” Madi got up and left the room. Korra caught a glimpse of sadness and frustration on her face when she left the room. Madi had been so confident on the field, a grade 10 girl who managed to hold off guys older and heavier than herself. She couldn’t possibly be worried about making the team. Korra was worried for her and was pretty sure that Madi could use someone looking out for her. She decided to find out what was wrong later.

* * *

Back at home Korra got home and needed to shower before dinner. She undid her hair and chest binding before taking a warm shower. Korra definitely spent longer than she needed there, letting the warm water trickle down her sore muscles.

“KORRA! 5 MINUTES!” she heard her mom call from the bottom of the stairs. With all of her will power, she turned the taps, stopping the water. Blowdrying her hair and tossing on some clean clothes, she hurried downstairs to join her parents at the table. Her mom had made mac and cheese with bacon bits so neither Korra nor Tonraq had time to make small talk as they were too busy shovelling the food into their mouths. After eating, Tonraq kissed his wife on the cheek. On Wednesday evenings, he and some friends played hockey together and went out for some drinks.

“I’ve got to pick someone up before the game so I need to leave a little earlier. I’ll be back after eleven.” 

“All right sweetie,” Senna said, wrapping her hands around her husband's neck and pulling him down, “as long as you don’t get drunk, clunk around and wake us up.” She returned his kiss, this time on the lips. 

Korra gazed out the window while washing the dishes, trying her best to block out her parents, who hadn’t broken the kiss. After what she deemed too long a time, her dad broke away and went to go put his shoes on.

“Be careful sweetie,” Senna called as he left.

“Don’t worry, I will.” Tonraq replied, then added, “Goodnight Korra!”

Korra filled her mom in on how the tryout went while they cleaned up the kitchen. Korra then went upstairs to study for Math and Chemistry. She also thought it would be wise to go over her Fitness flashcards one more before the quiz tomorrow. Her phone was lying on her desk from when she got home. Korra unlocked it and went through her notifications. Some Youtube, spam emails, Bolin asking something about chemistry, but also something from Asami. Opening the message, Asami had sent her a She-Ra meme.

_ A: Saw this and thought of you. I don’t have anyone else to send these to so I guess you’ll need to deal with it. _

Korra blushed embarrassment and flattery in equal parts. The thought of Asami thinking about her was nice,  _ and I suppose it would be nice to talk to someone other than Opal about the show. _ She liked the post and the accompanying message and then went to answer Bolin’s question.

Korra had just finished off reviewing her math notes when Asami sent her another post. The sun was going down and Korra decided that she had done enough that day. She liked the post that Asami sent and sat down on her bed to scroll through her Instagram explore page, sending Asami some more things.  _ Only two days ago I was ready to pummel her. _

The exchange of memes was interrupted:

_ A: What are you doing rn? _

_ K: nothing much. other than texting you _

_ A: Same here. How was the math homework? _

_ K: it wasn’t bad. I’ve got some questions about it that I’ll ask tomorrow _

_ A: Sure. I can always help _

_ A: If you need/want it _

Korra was interrupted from replying by Naga resting her head on the edge of the bed and looking up at her with pleading eyes. Her parents didn’t like Naga on the furniture, but Korra allowed her on her bed whenever she thought she could get away with it.

“All right girl,” she laughed, scratching Naga’s head, “you win. Come on up.”

Naga lay down at her feet with her head resting across Koa’s left shin, her eyes already drooping. Korra sent a picture of her dog to Asami.

_ K: the best girl. you better not be a cat person _

_ A: No. I usually like small dogs but she looks nice. 11/10 _

A little wave of relief washed over Korra. She didn’t hate cats, but it was clear dogs were better in every possible way.

_ A: What’s her name? _

_ K: Naga. we got her when I was six _

Korra and Asami stayed up until ten-thirty. Korra learned that Asami didn’t watch or play many team sports, she knew a lot about cars, Asami didn’t have any pets and that Asami liked watching movies.

_ A: Crap. I need to take a shower before bed tonight. Gotta go _

_ K: k. see you tomorrow. _

_ A: Bye _

Korra got herself ready for bed. As she lay down, she quickly scrolled through her conversation with Asami.

There was no doubt about it. Korra liked talking to Asami, working with Asami and seeing her around school.  _ I think we’re friends now,  _ she thought as she fell asleep.


	7. Babysitting

The next two days went pretty smoothly. During lunch on Thursday, Korra checked the football roster and schedule posted on the equipment room door. Unsurprisingly, she and Madi had made the team along with most of the veteran players. It also looked like Coach Gan had taken some of her suggestions as she looked over it once again. Looking at the schedule, there was practice on Monday, and Wednesday next week and their first game would be in just over two weeks. It was against some team from the other side of the city that Korra couldn’t remember much about. She couldn’t wait.

English class was just as good, Bolin, Asami and herself finishing up the conclusion of their essay with enough time to start editing. The feelings within the group had much improved since Tuesday. Korra looked through her fitness cue cards one last time before the bell rang.

Korra put in some earbuds as she started walking home. Everything had gone smoothly, she wasn’t hesitating on the quiz, and she didn’t have too much homework that night.

* * *

Friday morning greeted her with a clash of thunder, and by consequence, a face full of dog fur. Evidently, Naga had gotten scared and decided to snuggle in bed. Korra sat up and let lose a sneeze. Looking at the clock showed that it was twenty after six in the morning.  _ Ughhhhhh. _ It wasn’t worth it to try falling asleep again so Korra opted to try to get comfortable beside her dog and listen to the rain and thunder passing overhead.

Thankfully, her dad was kind enough to drop her off at school that morning so she didn’t have to walk. The storm had passed, but the drizzle was expected to keep up for the rest of the day. She still had about thirty minutes to kill before class so Korra put in her earbuds and decided to wander the halls. There were only a few other students in the halls at that time, sitting by their classes and lockers or around a table with some friends. Korra’s wandering brought her to the auto shop. The door was open ajar and Korra couldn’t resist taking a quick look inside. There were only two people inside, Asami, standing over a car with its hood up, her binders on a nearby table and the teacher, poking around in a toolbox. They were talking quietly, neither of them looking anywhere near Korra. Asami’s pristine clothing may have looked out of place in the beat-up garage but it was clear from her quizzical looks and just the confidence in her walk that she was in her element here. The heels of her boots made soft tapping sounds on the concrete as she walked around the car, stopping periodically to peer inside or to crouch down. Korra was snapped out of her staring as someone behind her asked if they could squeeze inside. Korra decided it was about time to head to class but opted to wait for Asami outside the classroom.

“Hi, Asami,” she said when Asami strode out of the room, binders tucked under her arm. Asami hadn’t noticed Korra and the sudden greeting prompting a soft "ah!" from her red lips.

“Oh, hey Korra,” she replied, tucking a strand of hair that had fallen across her face, “what are you doing here?”

Nervousness and hesitation crept into Korra’s voice. “Um, I was wandering the halls before class and I saw you inside? We should definitely get to class now.”

“Ok, let’s go,” Asami said as she started walking and motioned Korra to follow.

Asami didn’t really need heels to be honest as she was already an inch or two taller than Korra. But they did make her look very good.

Math class was spent reviewing for the test Monday in partners. She and Asami quickly decided to work together. The only other people that Korra knew in the class were a few people from the football team and she didn’t trust them to be of any help to her.

As their teacher wrote out problems on the board, Korra figured out that Asami was incredibly good at math. Korra wasn’t too bad all things considered, but Asami was a genius in comparison. Korra tried her best to be useful but opted to just stare at Asami as she puzzled out the equations. She would occasionally tap the eraser of her pencil on her upper lip while thinking and when things didn’t make sense, she would raise one eyebrow in slight disbelief. The bell rang too quickly.

* * *

Before Korra knew it, she was changing out of her fitness clothing and getting ready to go home. She had gotten a text from Mako asking if he should bring any snacks over.

Korra had completely forgotten that her parents were going out and that she and her friends would be babysitting Tenzin’s kids. Snacks would be a good idea, provided they weren’t sugary. Ikki and Meelo were already energetic enough.

The rain was more of a light drizzle at this point and Korra didn’t bother pulling out her raincoat. 

At home, it had seemed like her mom had the same idea as Mako. There was a bag of chips on the counter and a platter of veggies in the fridge. Senna was already preparing something for dinner.

“How was school today?” Senna asked when Korra walked into the kitchen.

“It was really good. When are you guys going out tonight?” Korra asked as she placed her dishes from lunch beside the sink.

Her mom looked at the clock. “Tenzin said that he and Pema would be here around seven, so I expect that we’ll be a few minutes later.”

“Ok, I’ll let my friends know to come over then,” said Korra.

Korra spent the next few hours watching some Youtube as her parents got ready to leave. About half an hour before they were going to leave, they came downstairs to eat. Senna had her hair done in a low bun and was wearing a simple blue dress with embellishments of white fur to match Tonraq who was wearing the blue suit that he wore to important meetings and events. Korra felt out of place in her jeans and her Seahawks football sweater. 

“Come on Korra,” said Senna, “pause your video and let's eat.”

Throughout dinner her parents kept throwing flirty glances at each other, which Korra did her best to ignore. She had just finished up eating when the doorbell rang. She dried off her hands and walked over to the door.

Mako and Bolin stood behind it, Mako with the same flavour of chips that Senna had bought, and Bolin with some of his colouring supplies.

“Hi Korra! Hi Senna!” Bolin said as he walked in and set down his box to take off his shoes.

“Hey Bolin. And Mako,” said Korra’s mom, nodding to the both of them.

“You look really great,” replied Bolin.

“Thank you!” Senna smiled and turned to Mako, “I’ll take those to the kitchen for you. Oh, I had bought the same kind!”

Mako scratched the back of his head and gave a little smile. “Uh, oops. I guess we both have good taste in chips?”

Korra saw the Beifong’s minivan pull into the driveway to drop Opal off as Mako and Bolin made their way into the kitchen.

“Hi Opal!” Korra gave her a quick hug when she came inside.

“Hey Korra!” Opal smiled as she shut the door behind her, “I brought some juice.”

They both made their way into the kitchen where Mako and Tonraq were talking about university and Bolin was laying out his art supplies on the table. Senna had the good idea of sticking some elastic bands around some glasses so they could tell them apart.

“Opal!” cried Bolin as she and Korra entered the room. She went over and gave him a hug and a quick peck on the cheek.

“It’s just after seven,” said Senna, checking the time, “Tenzin and his family should be here soon.”

As if on cue, the doorbell rang and Tonraq went to open the door. Shortly after, Meelo and Ikki shot into the room, followed by Jinora.

“We’re going to be heading out now,” said Tonraq from the front hall, “Don’t burn the house down or disturb the neighbours.”

After everyone said their goodbyes and the adults left, silence fell over the kitchen.

Meelo broke the awkward silence. “You know what this party needs?” he said definitively, “Music. Jinora hit it!”

While Jinora chose a playlist, Korra tried to find out where he mom had left the speaker. Mako emptied a bag of chips into a bowl, got the veggies and put them on the table. Bolin and Opal went around assigning the glasses and pouring some drinks. Korra came back with the speaker and a pack of cards that she had also found. 

With some music going, everyone was doing something. Bolin, Ikki and Meelo were colouring with Naga laying under the table while Mako, Opal, Korra and Jinora were sitting on the kitchen floor with pillows playing cards.

Korra pulled her phone out as Opal was shuffling and getting ready to deal another hand for crazy eights. Asami had sent her a few posts a few mins ago. Korra showed one of them to Opal. Jinora leaned in to get a look as well.

“What’s that from?” she asked, “Is it a TV show?”

“Yeah, She-ra and the Princesses of Power,” replied Opal, “It’s on Netflix and a new season is coming out soon.”

“Once you get past the girly colours, it’s actually a really good show,” added Korra. She looked back at her phone as Opal explained a bit of the show to Jinora. Mako had taken the cards and was trying to continue setting up the game.

_ A: What’s up? Can you chat? _

_ K: not right now. some of my friends are over and were babysitting Tenzin’s kids while he and my parents are going out _

_ A: Ok. I didn’t know your parents were friends with Tenzin _

_ K: yeah. my family’s Inuit and Tenzin’s mom was as well. they met at the local cultural center a few years before I was born _

Korra was interrupted by Mako who had finished dealing the cards. “Quit texting, we're starting,” he said, motining to Jinora to start.

“Who were you texting?” asked Jinora.

Korra paused. She didn’t particularly want anyone to know that she and Asami were texting, especially considering that she and Mako had been dating two months ago.

“Is it a  _ boy _ ?” joked Jinora, poking her in the arm before quickly adding “or a girl.”

Korra made it no secret that she was bisexual. She had a flag in her room and had gone to pride for the last three years. She was surprised her parents hadn’t immediately figured out. No average 12 year old girl was that obsessed with women's rugby posters. Tenzin and Pema also knew about it just by being very close to her parents and thankfully weren’t the kind of parents to hide it from their kids.

“No, my mom was just making sure we’re ok,” lied Korra. “We should watch a movie soon,” she added, addressing everyone and trying to change the subject.

“Meelo and I are almost done so sure,” agreed Bolin from the table. Ikki was staring over Bolin’s shoulder.

Opal won the last round only because a chain of pickup twos gave Korra eight more cards. An argument over the move was brewing. Meelo and Bolin wanted an action movie with explosions, Jinora, Ikki and Opal wanted some sappy girl movie and Korra wanted neither. Mako had brought some of his weekend homework and decided to opt out of the movie. Korra decided to take control of the situation.

“Ok, it’s either Star Wars or Wall-E,” she said, stopping the arguing, “We’ll have a vote.” 

Everyone but Mako closed their eyes.

“Ok a fist for Star Wars and two fingers for Wall-E” he said counting the votes, “now open your eyes.” Everyone opened their eyes and waited for the verdict. “Sorry Meelo, Wall-E won 4-1. Bolin didn’t vote.”

“What,” Bolin said, “I liked both!”

Korra put the DvD in and turned on the TV. The night’s football game popped on.

“Or we could watch this!” she called to the kitchen.

Nobody agreed with her.

Everyone piled onto the couch, chair and the floor in front. Korra sent Bolin to grab the bedsheets and pillows from her bedroom and the guest room to make it comfier on the floor. She sat on the couch and put on the movie. Opal divided up the other bag of chips into some bowls.

Korra had watched Wall-E enough times when she was young that she knew most of it. She quietly pulled out her phone and found that Asami had texted her some more.

_ A: I didn’t know you guys were inuit. No wonder Tenzin likes you. _

_ A: Have fun! _

She had also sent a few more posts in the meantime although they were just random text posts.

_ K: we’re just watching a movie rn. I can talk _

_ A: Sure. What movie? _

_ K: Wall-E. it was one of my favourite movies as a kid _

_ A: I liked that one too! My favorites were the barbie ones but I also watched lots of ones about racing. My dad would watch them and I would sit down beside him. _

Korra didn’t know much about Asami’s family other than what was in the media. All she knew was that Hiroshi Sato invented the Satomobile and grew Future Industries in the ‘80’s while he was still young. He had met with Korra’s dad on occasion at events in the city, but her dad never had much to say about those anyways. He found them pointless and boring.

_ K: do you guys live near ATH _

_ A: No. I live at our family residence farther outside the city. One of the public bus routes almost directly connects me to the school though so it only takes 30 mins or so to get to school _

_ A: Plus my dad spends most of the week living in an apartment downtown. We don’t see each other much but he tries to keep me out of the press now. It works out pretty well. That's partially why I came here. _

_ K: what about your mom? _

There wasn’t a response for some time. Ikki and Meelo were already asleep on the floor along with Naga and Jinora and Bolin were starting to doze off on Opal’s shoulders. Korra looked back at her phone.

_ A: She died a couple years ago. _

Korra was instantly filled with regret for asking.

_ K: oh my god, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. _

_ A: Don’t worry. It was when I was six and you didn’t know. _

Korra couldn’t imagine growing up without a mom. Her mom was always there and taking care of everything. She wanted to give Asami a hug.

_ A: I’m going out early tomorrow and need to shower before bed. Goodnight _

_ K: bye. hopefully we can text tomorrow _

_ A: That should work. _

Korra spent the rest of the movie thinking about Asami’s family. She didn’t seem to be that close to her dad now and she didn’t have that much time with her mom. Korra debated searching up Asami’s dad on Google to see if she could find anything more about Asami’s mom. It would be nice to know more about her new friend, especially so she didn’t accidentally hurt her feelings again. However that just felt like snooping and I would be better to get the story from Asami someday. Korra was imaging the two of them sitting up on her bed late at night just talking when the movie ended. Bolin was asleep but Jinora was still conscious. Carefully, Korra and Opal made sure that Bolin was comfortable on the couch.

“He really needs to sleep better,” Opal whispered as she found him a pillow, “I try my best to make sure he’ll be in bed by midnight.”

“He’s a bit of a mess,” said Korra in agreement. Opal nodded as she gave her boyfriend a little kiss on the forehead.

They then tried to make the kids on the floor more comfortable, straightening out the blankets and pillows. Jinora sluggishly moved over to the chair and curled up, struggling to keep one eye open. It was just past eleven when the parents got home. Tonraq quietly opened the door and turned on the hallway light. Mako was still working at the table and Korra and Opal had moved over there and were quietly chatting. The other adults soon came inside trying not to make too much noise.

“Hi dad,” said Korra as he came into the kitchen, “Everyone else is asleep in the family room.”

Tenzin and Pema walked over to check on their kids before coming back and taking a seat at the table.

“Thanks kids,” Pema said as she sat down. Pema was currently pregnant with their fourth child and looked worn out from the outing.

“How was the show?” said Mako, looking up from his notes.

“It was really good,” responded Senna, “It was a comedian who did some hilarious musical acts as well.” 

The four parents gave a brief description of the show and quietly laughed as they retold some of the best jokes.

“When he was singing that song about the juice prices I laughed so much I thought my water was going to break,” said Pema as she stifled a giggle. Mako’s face went red and he leaned further over his homework. 

The seven of them talked until close to midnight until Opal mentioned that she needed to be home soon. She and Mako went to carefully wake up Bolin and Jinora while Tenzin and Tonraq picked up Meelo and Ikki and careded them out to the car. Senna also helped Pemo outside and into the car. After saying their goodbyes, Korra and her parents were left alone in the house.

“Good job kiddo,” said Tonraq as he hugged his daughter, “It seemed like everyone had fun.”

“And much worse could have happened than some chip stains on the sheets,” added Senna.

The three of them cleaned up a little bit and Korra grabbed a new blanket for her bed.

Korra got herself ready for bed. When she went to plug in her phone, she remembered her conversation with Asami. Korra felt a need to be there for her new friend. She could be someone Asami could lean on…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had three finished chapters sitting in my doc that I write this in. I can't guarantee that I'll have time or motivation to continue this story, but I hope that I'll finish this someday because I think this fandom and ship deserve so much more love. Thanks to all y'all who left comments on the other chapters. Over the next few weeks/months I hope to at least bring this story to a mostly completed state (and maybe have Korra and Asami start dating). Again no promises but I'll try if I find the time.


	8. *Not* a date

The sun had already risen high into the sky by the time Korra woke up the next morning. She let loose a yawn and turned away from her window, not feeling awake enough to open her eyes. After adjusting to the light and waking up some more, she sprawled out on her back and began thinking about what she wanted to do that day. She probably should take Naga for a walk and her mom would probably want to vacuum up the dog hair that managed to get absolutely everywhere. There was also some studying that she needed to do for Monday. Tenzin had given out a self-study package on short stories and said that he’d give them a test date on Monday.

The rain yesterday had cooled everything down and a stiff breeze ensured that Korra kept a good pace on her walk with Naga. She had some time to think on her walk. 

_ It was nice to see everyone yesterday. But it would be nice to see Asami too.  _ Korra hesitated and stopped walking.  _ Are we that close yet? Should I ask if we want to hang out? Where would we meet? I don’t want to invite her over to my house.  _ As more questions kept sprouting out of Korra’s mind she started walking again, this time faster and with less control.  _ Would asking to go over to her house seem like I’m taking advantage of her wealth? That wouldn’t be a good place anyways. She seems to be closed off about her family.  _ Korra stopped waking to sit down on a park bench.  _ WHAT WOULD WE EVEN DO?! _

Korra gently grabbed Naga’s jowls and held her face as she leaned in and looked her dog in the face. “What would we even do?” she said quietly. Naga responded only to the attention Korra was dishing out by panting and wagging her tail. Thinking of Asami seemed to drive Korra crazy. Korra pulled out her phone and put in her earbuds. Blasting some music might get the thoughts out of her head for a time.

It did work, mostly. Korra got home and her mom was cleaning up and asked her to help. They just went over the floor downstairs as the remnants from the get-together last night were still occupying the kitchen and family room. As Korra sat down at the table to have a quick snack afterwards, she got a message from Asami:

_ A: I just got back home. I was gonna work on my car later this afternoon, just give it a once over to make sure it’s still working pretty well. _

_ K: that sounds like fun _

_ K: I don’t have much to do. I was maybe going to study for math and chem. were you gonna start the english review this weekend? _

_ A: Maybe. The test probably won’t be until Friday at the earliest though. _

Korra had an idea. There was something that she and Asami could do together.

_ K: are you busy tomorrow? _

_ A: I’ve already studied more than I need to for math so not really _

_ K: then did you maybe want to go someplace and work on english together? _

_ A: Sounds great! _

Korra let out a breath and felt little butterflies starting to flutter in her stomach. She didn’t quite realize how scared she had been about Asami rejecting her.

_ A: Did you have a place in mind? _

Korra hadn’t thought that far ahead. She had been so nervous about asking Asami out —  _ SHIT SHIT SHIT, THIS WASN’T A DATE. _ Korra was certain her feelings were platonic. Plus getting mixed up in all that after Mako and Asami was a recipe for more disaster between her friends.

Anyways, after being nervous about meeting up, Korra hadn’t thought about where they’d go. She usually studied at home or at her friend’s houses. There was one place she was thinking about though…

_ K: not really, but I know about this cafe near city hall that my dad would take me to whenever he brought me down there. it might be nice? _

_ A: Sure. How are you getting down there? _

_ K: I could snatch some money for the bus or just ask my parents nicely. need a ride? _

_ A: I’ve got a better idea. If my car is looking good this afternoon I could pick you up. Interested? _

_ K: wow really? _

_ K: yes of course! _

_ A: Should we say 11? _

_ K: perfect _

Korra texted Asami her address and put her phone down. That went so much better than she could have planned. Asami had seemed really interested in going out and the thought of riding in her car was exciting beyond belief. It was hard to focus on anything for the rest of the day.

* * *

When Korra woke up the next morning she was about to roll over and lay in bed for as long as she could justify until she remembered that Asami was going to pick her up. That realization gave her the energy she needed to start on what she needed to do that morning. It was her job to walk Naga on the weekends since her mom did it while everyone was else out during the rest of the week. After scarfing down breakfast, walking Naga, getting her English homework together and taking a quick shower Korra presented with the dilemma of choosing some clothing. After standing in her underwear staring at her closet for far too long, Korra decided on a pair of ripped white jeans, a simple blue low-cut t-shirt and her favorite flannel as the outside was still a little bit nippy.

Asami texted Korra to let her know that she was leaving. Korra brushed her hair and teeth, smoothed down her shirt and walked downstairs. Dressing up, even a little bit, made Korra feel good. Her usual style was defined by whatever was clean and comfy.

“Look at you!” remarked Senna, “What are you up to?”

“My friend and I were going downtown to study,” replied Korra, forcing a casual tone.

“Oh, who is it?” said Tonraq, joining the conversation. “Actually, more importantly, are you going to be back before the Seahawks game? It’s at 4:30.”

Korra didn’t really want to give out too many details about Asami to her parents yet. “I’ll be back before four thirty,” she said.

She then went to the door to make sure that she had all the school supplies that she needed. She put them all into her backpack and sat down on the bench by the door, impatient looking out the window. 

Asami hadn’t even fully pulled in before Korra shouted a quick goodbye to her parents and started down the driveway. Asami got out of her car and pulled Korra in for a quick hug.

“Got everything?” she asked, her jade-coloured eyes filled with excitement.

“Yup,” Korra said, “Your car is gorgeous.” She walked around to the passenger side door. The body was glossy enough to see your reflection in, the steel trim shimmered like silver and the glass didn’t have the slightest smudge on it. Asami must have cleaned it meticulously. Korra fought the urge to run her fingers over it lest she leave a streak over the perfect machine.

“Come on, let’s go,” urged Asami playfully as she opened her door. She was wearing a knitted red sweater, black leggings and black leather boots. Her hair was done up in a ponytail but a few loose strands blew in the wind.

The engine rumbled to life and Asami backed out of the driveway and started on the road. Asami kept the roof down as they drove letting the wind rush past them. Korra’s hair was blown into her face again and again until Asami opened up a small compartment near the gear stick. In it were some hair clips, elastics and a scrunchie.

“Take one. These are my backups,” Asami shouted over the wind.

Korra gave her a smile and put her hair in a ponytail. It was a stupid little spikey one as her hair was only down to her shoulders. Asami let out a little snicker that made Korra blush just the tiniest bit.

“No, no. You look great,” Asami said quickly with a hint of worry in her voice.

“I’ll take your word for it,” replied Korra, “considering that you’re the expert on looking great.”

That made Asami blush.

The two girls sat in silence until they turned off the highway.

A sudden realization filled Korra with dread. She patted down her pockets and then started rummaging through her backpack.

“What’s wrong?” asked Asami.

“I might have forgotten my wallet…” said Korra, coming up with only a five dollar bill and a nickel that were hidden in a random pouch.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Asami in a carfree voice, “I’ll pay for whatever you get.”

“I’ll pay you back at school then.” said Korra, putting her backpack back.

“No! I’ll treat you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Shut up! I’m giving you permission to mooch off me. Plus I like the idea of you owing me one.”

Asami’s confident smirk shut down any further protest Korra might have put up.

They pulled into a parking spot near City Hall. The cafe was just one the block to the left, across from a small greenspace. Asami put up the roof and the two of them walked over to the cafe. It was meant to look slightly weatherbeaten on the inside with white painted boards and wood and iron tables and chairs. There was a space for two over near the window which gave a very pleasant view of the park and the street. Korra and Asami put their bags down at the table.

“We should probably order something before we get to work,” said Asami as she squinted to read the drink menu from their table, “Do you know what you want?”

“I’ll just have a hot chocolate,” said Korra. She didn’t drink much coffee or tea, the occasional energy drink being her only source of caffeine.

Asami nodded and walked over to the counter to get into line. She had let down her hair after getting inside and now it cascaded down her back with the same glossiness of her car. Her head and hip was cocked as she pondered her order. Just as the person in front of her was ordering Asami frantically waved to Korra and motioned with her hands as to ask which size of drink Korra wanted. She tried to reply in a similar fashion, attempting to let Asami know she wanted a medium, but I was clear Asami had now idea what she was saying. By the time Korra had the idea of getting up and actually talking, Asami had already ordered.

“I wanted a medium.” said Korra.

“Hopefully you can manage a large?” replied Asami nervously. “Sorry.”

“That’s fine. We probably should have thought about that before,” reassured Korra, “I’ll get back to get our stuff.”

When Asami returned to the table with the drinks, Korra had her work out but was staring out the window.

“Hey,” said Asami, putting down the drinks.

“Oh, uh, hi,” stammered Korra as she snapped back to attention, “I was just looking outside. Watching the cars and people pass and I saw a crow in the tree there. Just watching the world I guess.”

Asami took a second to look out the window as well. “I think I see the crow,” she remarked as she sat down.

“Anyways, do you want to get to work now?” asked Korra, staring at Asami across the table.

“Sure.”

They spent the next hour chatting and mostly staying on task. The large hot chocolate was very good and Korra finished it before it got cold. They finished the first part of the package quickly and proceeded onto the second part. However, Korra’s desire to doodle grew with her hunger and more and more stickmen and random objects kept appearing on the top of her page.

“I think this is enough for now,” said Asami looking at her friend’s artwork, “There isn’t even a due date yet.”

“Sure. Are you hungry” asked Korra.

“Yeah, I ate breakfast pretty early today,” recalled Asami.

“Ok, I’ll go over and choose what I want and then you can get in line,” suggested Korra.

“Sure. Don’t want to leave our table empty,” agreed Asami, leaning back in her chair.

Unsurprisingly, the actual food at the cafe was pricy, but Korra figured that Asami would want her to choose what she wanted, regardless of price. She settled on a garden-style ham sandwich and came back to let Asami get in line. Asami came back with her sandwich, a bowl of soup for herself and two cookies.

“Here you go,” she smiled, “I figured you can’t go wrong with chocolate chip.”

Korra smiled. “Thanks. You really can’t.”

After giggling when Asami singed her tongue on her soup, they ate their meals quietly. Asami started telling Korra about her judo tournament last weekend (Mako had remembered correctly) and Korra started talking about football. It seemed that many of the football players were also in Asami’s Mech Eng class although they spent their time disassembling machinery and playing with the welding equipment. They talked about the teachers, the classes that they were taking and anything else. Korra checked the time and was surprised that it was already two o’clock. Neither of them wanted to leave but the cafe was getting busy and they had been there a while now.

“Want to walk in the park there?” suggested Korra, pointing across the street.

“Why not,” said Asami already getting up, “We can toss our stuff in my car.”

They dropped off their bags and after checking for cars, jaywalked across the street. The weather was warmer than when they left that morning and Korra opted to tie her flannel around her waist. They kept talking about whatever they felt like. Korra found a wide and low branch on one of the trees and swung herself up to sit on it. Asami declined an invitation to join her citing the fact that she was wearing boots not suitable for climbing trees. Korra leapt back down and after two laps around the park,they decided to head back home.

“Thanks so much Asami,” said Korra as they pulled into her driveway, “Today was really good.”

“Yeah, definitely” agreed Asami smiling back at Korra, “We should do something like this again. Plus it gets my car out.”

“You bet, I’m sure we’ll text later.” said Korra.

She got out of the car and gave Asami a quick hug. “Bye.”

“Bye Korra.”

And with that Asami drove off.

* * *

“Who was that? She seemed nice,” asked Senna when Korra walked inside.

“Oh,” said Korra, still riding on her good mood from earlier, “That’s Asami. We’re in English together.”

“Wait, Asami Sato?” said Senna, matching the car to the name, “I didn’t know she went to Air Temple High.”

“She likes to keep a lower profile there,” said Korra, “We just went downtown to that cafe next to city hall to study for our English test together.”

“That sounds like fun,” said Senna, smiling, “She’s always welcome over her though. I’m pretty sure your fathers have met a few times.”

Bolin had texted while Korra was out. Something about not understanding some Chemistry thing. She tried her best to explain what he needed to do.

_ B: Thanks, but I had looked it up earlier. Where were you? _

_ K: I went downtown _

_ B: Oh, fun! Where did you go? _

Korra hesitated telling Bolin what she actually did but then she remembered it would probably come up in English class anyways.

_ K: Asami and I went to a cafe place to start on the english package _

_ B: AND YOU DIDN’T INVITE ME?! _

_ B: jk jk. Hope ya had fun _

_ K: it was. she even gave me a ride down there. she’s got a NICE car _

_ B: Somehow that isn’t surprising… _

_ B: Anyway’s Mako’s at work and I need to go over to Grandma’s to help with dinner. Weekly potluck and all that. _

_ K: have fun. I’ll probably be watching football with my dad. see ya tomorrow _

_ B: You too! Bye! _

Korra put her English stuff in her room and went downstairs. The rest of the evening was spent watching football with her dad and texting a bit more with Asami.  _ This day couldn’t have gone better. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support on the last chapter. I have one more chapter finished but I want to hold off on posting it so in case I need to fix continuity errors in chapter 10. Also, I was re-reading the chapter I posted yesterday and there were some errors in there that I probably needed to fix. If any of y'all want to proofread my work, shoot me a message at:  
> ninjapenguin216.tumblr.com


	9. You got game girl

Korra fell into a rhythm for the next two weeks. After the review tests, they were launching into new units in Math, Chemistry and English, and the football team was coming together in time for the first game with practices twice a week. When Asami wasn’t staying later in the auto shop, she would hang out with Korra and Bolin. The three of them were getting along quite well but Mako’s name was still a tense subject. It was sad because Korra would have loved to have her around when she and her friends got together on Friday, a week before the game.

There hadn’t been a good chance for Korra and Asami to see each other outside of school so they settled for texting each other instead. However, the Saturday after the first football game was their next bet. Korra had invited Asami over and they both were very excited to see each other again.

* * *

The weather seemed to be looking good for the first football game. The Air Temple High Sky Bisons were going to face off against Northern High’s Turtle Seals. Looking at the other team, Korra felt confident. The Sky Bisons had the home field advantage and their opponents seemed to have a younger team overall. Though there were still 15 minutes before the teams warmed up, people were starting to file into the stands. Korra could see Asami near her team’s bench and close by was Tenzin. Other than reprimanding students, high school football was the only thing that Tenzin got excited about. The students had given him the nickname “Master Arrowhead” as he would paint a blue arrow on his bald head to match those on the football helmets and he wore yellow and red robes to complete the look. Korra was still waiting on Mako, Bolin, Opal and her parents. She decided to visit Asami as she was waiting.

“Hey, you’re pretty early,” said Korra as she walked over. 

Asami smiled. “Bolin texted to say that he and the others were going to be late. Something about the car needing to be jumped. He asked me to save some seats and I really wasn’t up to much.”

“That’s nice of you,” Korra replied. Asami was a really nice person. And to think that Korra had almost hated her. “Have you ever been to one of our games?”

“No,” Asami said, looking over at Tenzin with surprise, “I had heard stories though.”

“Oh, just wait until we're playing,” teased Korra with a smirk. “Also, still good for tomorrow?”

“Yup, should be,” replied Asami, “I’m coming over after lunch, right?”

“Yup,” said Korra. Just then her coach blew to whistle to get the team together.

“Good luck!” called Asami as Korra ran off. Korra turned back and gave her a quick wave.

The September sun was sinking lower into the sky as Korra ran back to the bench with her team for the final huddle before the game started.

“I have a good feeling about this game. If we play as we did in the practices we should be able to beat them easily,” said Coach Gan from the center of the huddle, “but that is not reason not to give it one hundred percent. Let’s get out there and put on a show.”

One of the players stepped into the center and started the final chant before they broke apart. “Everybody, one, two!”

“SKY BISON LETS MOVE!” the rest of the team finished as they broke apart. Korra made her way to the center of the field with a player from the Turtle Seals for the coin toss. The referee looked back and forth to make sure they were ready. Then he flipped the coin in the air and pointed at Korra, “Call it.”

“Heads!” called Korra as the ref caught the coin and flipped it over onto the back of his other hand.

“Heads!” he said and now addressing Korra, “Who’s kicking first?”

“They kicked us,” Korra said quickly. Their defence was slightly weaker than their offence and hopefully getting points on the board quickly would put the other team off.

The two players walked back to their benches as the Air Temple returning line up and the Northern kicking lineup got into position. Korra looked back into the stands to see Mako, Bolin and Opal just sitting down. The four of them gave her a wave. Korra then looked over at Tenzin. Her parents were beside him but only her mom noticed and waved. Tonraq was waving a huge flag with a Sky Bison that their family had put together last year and both he and Tenzin were very focused on the game.

The kickoff was surprisingly good and it went back to the ten yard line. One of the Air Temple receivers got it and bolted forward. He dodged the first few defenders and was finally brought down in the center of the field. Korra and the rest of the lineup went onto the field. They had already planned out their first few plays. They would only try to get the ten yards needed for the first down on this down, just to test out the other team. Madi was in the center facing up against a guy, slightly bigger than herself. He looked overconfident considering he was facing down the smaller girl, but Korra knew that would soon change. She called the snap and the play started. Madi caught the overconfident defender off guard and she easily cleared him away from the middle. Korra handed the ball to the running back now that there was a clear path. That first play went better than Korra could have imagined. The running back was brought down twenty-five yards from the snap when some of the people defending the receivers were forced to give up their man and take him down.

With good field position, Korra decided to test how well the opposing team could cover her receivers. After a quick huddle and the snap, her offensive line broke to pocket to the left so Korra could run outside. One of her receiver’s, having cut to the outside from the middle of the field, had put his defender a few steps behind him. Korra sent a hard and low pass through the open space right to him. Now with the ball, he quickly spun backwards and started running. He was tackled about eleven yards from the endzone. If it only took two simple plays for her team to get close to scoring, Korra was sure that her team was going to win.

Korra decided to go for a touchdown on this play. The receivers would draw their defenders into the endzone, giving enough free space in the middle for the running back to bust through the center. As the ball was snapped Korra got ready for the handoff while Madi tred to clear the middle. She was right up against the guy, but Korra could just see him grabbing her shirt in an obvious hold. She waited for the flag but none came. She had nothing to do but to hand off the ball and hope that her running back could make something of it. Seeing what she saw, he decided to try to run around the right of the pocket but got too close to the defensive lineman and was swiftly tackled. Now faced with second down and 12, Korra fell back on throwing. It would be best to just try to move up the field at least. Right off the snap she fired it off to the receiver on her left who was running diagonally across the field. His cut didn’t leave enough time for his defender to get in front of him. It was an easy shot and he was brought down three yards from the first down line and four from the endzone. Korra decided to try to go for the touchdown on the last play as it was only an extra yard. After a very quick huddle, Korra’s plan was for one more quick pass for the four yards. She backed up after Madi’s snap and looked for an opening. As she watched the players she noticed the linebacker across from Madi try to force his way through. Despite her disadvantage in size, Madi used his momentum against him and sent him stumbling out of the way like an oversized shot put stone. Korra decided to take advantage of the huge gap in front of her and sprinted straight ahead. The other defenders turned to tackle her as she ran past but her momentum carried her forward. She hit the ground hard with the ball clutched to her chest, just over the goal line. It was a touchdown.

The crowd was shouting as she got up and she was caught in a hug from her team. It was certainly a decisive first drive down the field. She walked off the field for the extra point kick and saw her friends freaking out above her. Asami was leaning over the barrier of the stands and Bolin was dancing with excitement beside her. Opal waved as Korra approached the bench and Mako had a proud grin on his face.

The Sky Bisons were up 7-0 for the Turtle Seals' first drive. Their offence was better than their defence, but the Sky Bisons could also hold their own. It was a slow slog down the field until the defence forced a fourth down with the ball twenty yards from the endzone. The Turtle Seals brought on their kicker to attempt a field goal. The scoreboard changed to 7-3 as their kicker sent a perfect kick straight through the uprights. The kickoff back to the Sky Bisons was similarly well placed.

“It seems like that scrawny kicker is the best player on their team,” Korra muttered to Madi as they got up to begin their second drive.

“As long as we keep scoring, they won’t be able to keep up,” said Madi, with steel in her voice as she prepared herself for their second drive down the field. 

The first half of the game finished with the Sky Bisons up 20-10. They scored on all their drives and missed a field goal but had given up a touchdown on the most recent drive. They had a few minutes to rest before returning to play and Korra walked over to her friends.

“Hey guys,” Korra said, running her fingers through her hair with a smile, “enjoying yourselves?”

“Hell yeah!” replied Bolin, “You’re crushing them out there!”

“It's been really good,” agreed Mako, looking at the stadium, “Almost makes me want to join a sport at uni. If I had the time of course.” Mako had been on the soccer and badminton teams at Air Temple High and was admittedly very good.

“I’m willing to be called a traitor by my brothers for this,” said Opal, putting her arm around Bolin.

Asami was going to speak when Korra’s parents jostled their way over to the railing.

“Way to go kiddo!” shouted Tonraq, full of pride for his daughter, “You show them who’s boss!”

Senna peeked out from behind her husband to add, “Just be careful! We love you!” Korra went slightly red but appreciated the concern. Senna tugged at Tonraqu’s sleeve to get him out of the way as other students tried to get to the space near the bench.

“As, I was going to say,” Asami started as she looked over at Korra’s parents, “this is really fun. I should have come to these before. The atmosphere is great!”

Korra was happy and relieved that Asami was enjoying herself. She was worried about having Mako and Asami together and had noticed that they sat with Bolin and Opal between them but overall she was glad that there wasn’t as much tension as she feared. Korra spent some more time with her friends before Coach Gan gathered the team to talk before the second half. Korra noticed that Madi hadn’t gotten up from the bench the entire half. She was just there idly fidgeting until she got up for the huddle. Korra was going to make a point of trying to include her after the game.

Coach Gan was on one knee in the middle of the huddle. “Great job out there team. We're up by a good margin and you guys don’t look worn out in the slightest,” he started, “But just because it’s an easy game is no reason to start getting sloppy. We can play it safe and have some fun and still wind up ahead.” With that, he dismissed them for the kick-off of the second half.

After kicking the Turtle Seals and giving up a field goal, Korra took Coach Gan’s advice and just focused on making safe plays up the field. Even without the ferocity of the first drive, the Sky Bisons still got to the endzone and scored with little difficulty. As the scores grew farther apart Korra noticed the other team becoming more aggressive and reckless. They tackled harder and started drawing more fouls. Korra responded to this by playing it safer, despite her natural competitiveness. She didn’t want any major injuries in the first game of the season.

The score was 33-19 on the last drive of the game. The two-minute warning had already gone and the Turtle Seals were kicking back to the home team. After the initial burst of aggressiveness in the start of the half, the opposing team was starting to give up. There was no use in beating an already dead enemy to death and Korra was prepared to run the clock out and take a knee to end the game.

That was the plan until the first play. Madi snapped the ball and Korra stepped back to make a short pass to a receiver on the outside of the field when she was tackled in the pocket. As she got up she heard the player who tackled her call Madi “a fat bitch” as they set up for the second down. Korra’s blood boiled at the comment. Madi had managed to hold him off all game and was a superior player. “Just get him out of the way,” she whispered to Madi as they set up for the next play. Korra was going to show him exactly what they were capable of.

Madi didn’t disappoint. As soon as the ball left her fingertips, she exploded up at the middle linebacker and pushed him straight into his teammate to the right. The three of them fell in a heap giving Korra a wide-open gap right down the center of the field. The crowd was cheering her on as she sprinted down the field as fast as she could. Forty, thirty, twenty, cut as a defender dove at her, ten, lunge, touchdown! Korra got up and took off her helmet as she walked back down the field. Madi had just gotten off the other player. Korra went to stand beside her friend and looked up at the guy in front of her.

“Who’s the fat bitch now?” she mocked as she and Madi turned to go back to the bench.

Madi gave her a big hug when they were far away from the asshole on the other team. “Thanks,” she laughed as she broke away, “the look on his face when he was stumbling backwards was amazing.”

Korra smiled proudly. “Anytime,” she replied, “nobody gets to treat you like that.” Korra had worked her ass off to earn the respect of her team and knew what it was like to be on the receiving ends of those comments. 

The extra point was kicked and the Turtle Seals let the clock run out when they got the ball back. The game was over. People started exiting the stands to make their way onto the field or out to the parking lot. 

“Are your parents here?” she asked Madi as the whistle blew. Korra wanted to tell everyone how great her friend was.

“No,” she said glumly, “my mom is picking me up afterwards though.”

“Oh,” said Korra, deciding it was best to drop the subject, “well you can stick around me until we’re ready to go.”

“Thanks,” said Madi gratefully. Korra walked over to one of the entrance gates onto the field where she saw her parents exiting.

“KORRA!” yelled her dad as soon as he spotted her. She waved him and her mom over. “You really booked it on your last play there! Way to go!” he said excitedly as he got closer.

“Thanks, Dad,” Korra said. “This is Madi,” she continued, “and Madi, this is my mom and dad.”

“You’re playing center?” asked Tonraq. Madi nodded. “You killed it out there! I saw you taking on multiple guys twice your size all game.”

Korra was distracted from the conversation by Bolin calling her name a second before Asami ran up and wrapped her arms around Korra’s neck. Asami’s breath was right beside Korra’s ear and her hair was right in Korra’s face. Korra’s brain seemed to short circuit and the sound of her heartbeat filled her entire body. This was just like their collision weeks ago: Korra could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, she could smell the shampoo in Asami’s hair and she was just as surprised as last time. Asami moved back slightly and Korra saw her green eyes staring back into hers.

They were pressed back together as Bolin and Opal joined in on the hug. Korra snapped back to her senses.

“Guys!” Korra laughed, “I’m all sweaty and dirty!”

“Shut up and let us be proud of you,” chastised Opal jokingly, “Mako, get in here!”

Mako begrudgingly joined the hug and after many compliments, they broke apart. Korra unconsciously held onto Asami for a second longer than everyone else. Korra looked back at her parents. Madi and her dad were still talking and Korra was glad to see a smile on Madi’s face.

“I think that we should celebrate your first game of the season” suggested Senna addressing both Korra and Madi. “I’ve got some snacks in the car. You guys can change and meet the rest of us by the basketball nets.”

Everyone agreed and the two girls split off to go change. “Your dad is really cool,” said Madi as she and Korra walked out of the school, “and your mom is really nice too.”

“Thanks,” said Korra. She wasn’t sure why Madi’s parents couldn’t be there but she was glad the younger girl was having a great first game. They jogged over when they saw everyone standing around the trunk.

Senna, being the wonderful mom that she was, had a box of caramel ice cream cones in a cooler for everyone. The sun had set and they all spent a few minutes chatting. Korra properly introduced Asami to her parents and Madi to the rest of her friends. 

The last rays of sun peeked over the horizon and the crickets had started chirping when Asami mentioned that she had to leave. Korra gave her a hug goodbye, pulling Asami close to her before they drifted apart. “See you tomorrow,” she whispered. Madi also got a text saying that her mom was out in front of the school. With that everyone collectively agreed that it was a good time to go home. Korra said goodbye to all her friends and got into her parent’s car. Tonraq stowed the flag in the trunk and quickly grabbed the one cone that was left over. It had been a very good afternoon and Korra could feel herself drifting off in the back seat.

After getting out of a long, warm shower, and slowly putting on some pyjamas, Korra only had the energy to remember that she would get to see Asami the next day before falling fast asleep…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is going to be very long so stay tuned. It'll hopefully be up by the end of the week (fingers crossed).


	10. The dream

_ Korra was alone in a dimly lit space. Her heart was racing and her breaths were shallow and quick. Her hands felt something silky and smooth. Wait, she wasn’t alone. There was someone else in front of her. Korra could make out red lips and long hair. Hair that her hands were in. The other person’s breathing was quiet but just as quick as hers. _

_ She wasn’t scared, just surprised. Korra knew she wanted to be here, wherever that was. She went to take a step back but found herself up against a wall. The figure in front of her leaned in and purely by instinct Korra closed her eyes. She felt a warm breath against her lips and she opened hers ever so slightly in anticipation. The first second of the kiss sent a shock all throughout her body. However, as the sensation faded Korra could no longer feel the warmth of the person in front of her and could taste caramel in her mouth. _

_ Shocked and confused, Korra opened her eyes to see she was in some sort of building made out of candies. The figure in front of her was melting into an ice cream-y puddle. Other statues lined the walls around her. Her gran-gran with a disapproving look, her first-grade teacher, that guy she worked with over the summer… _

Korra awoke from the dream and tried to recall the bits and pieces. She had no idea what the whole candy museum was all about but the first part had proved her feelings for a certain someone beyond a shadow of a doubt.

It was still very dark outside so Korra decided that it was best to fall asleep and push the dream aside. This was something that could be dealt at sometime other than four fifteen in the morning. Korra wouldn’t have to see Asami until Math class on Monday anyways…

“Oh shit,” whispered Korra, her eyes opening fully to stare up at the ceiling. Asami was coming over today. In 8 hours. Today. Everything was going to be so awkward and difficult now that Korra knew her resentment of Asami was just her denying that there was a crush developing. There was no going back to sleep now.

Korra rolled over and grabbed her phone and earbuds from her nightstand to put on some music. After choosing some suitably melancholy songs for her distraught, depressed and disappointed mood, she continued to stare up at the ceiling with her legs stretched out and her hands folded around her phone on her stomach. The weak light of streetlights passing through the gaps in her blinds and the red glow of her clock were the only things illuminating the room. Korra closed her eyes and tried to just focus on breathing.

She had done it. She had fallen for a straight girl, a pretty, smart, talented, incredible but almost certainly straight, girl. She took another long breath. Korra had tried her best to only crush on girls who she knew were actually gay, but those were all celebratary crushes. You could look things up about those people and there was never any expectation of it becoming more than a wishful fantasy. But Asami was her friend, and only had been for all of two weeks. Korra couldn’t mess it all up now, telling her about her feelings was the kind of thing that broke relationships.

While listening to her music and replaying every conversation and encounter with Asami in her mind, Korra must’ve lulled herself to sleep. When she opened her eyes again she was rolled over on her phone, one earbud was laying on the bed and sunlight was rushing in the cracks of her window. The clock now read eight forty-five. Korra only wanted to sleep more. After untangling her earbuds and putting them back on the nightstand, she curled up under the covers and tried to find the darkest corner of the bed to fall asleep again. Her attempts at resting a bit more were interrupted by a wet nose making contact with her ankle. Blinking off the sleepiness, Korra rolled over and saw Naga with her two front paws up on her bed wagging her tail.

“Good morning to you too you big furry lump,” Korra grumbled. “No kisses yet either,” she added as pusing Naga’s snout away from her face. Korra sat up on the edge of her bed and got up to go to the bathroom after the black spots cleared from her vision. The mirror showed her dishevelled hair and the bags under her eyes. She was still slightly sore from the game last night. She grabbed a hair elastic and made her way downstairs.

“Didn’t sleep well?” asked Senna when Korra sat down at the kitchen table.

“No,” Korra mumbled sleepily, “I woke up during the night and didn’t fall asleep properly.”

Senna frowned empathetically. “Have something to eat. You always work better on food.”

Korra lifted herself up from the chair and got out a bowl, cereal and some milk before sitting down again. She got up again with a sigh to grab a spoon before collapsing. What did she need to do before Asami came over today? She had some Chemistry and English homework but there was all of Sunday morning to do that.  _ And what the hell are we going to do? Just sitting there will make it awkward.  _ Her tiredness was the only thing that stopped Korra from pacing around the house with mild panic. She should at least shower. Her hair was a mess and she felt uncomfortable in her pajamas.

The food and the shower did wake Korra up a bit more but did little for the bags under her eyes. As she walked back into her room, the sun coming in from the window illuminated the dust and dog hair floating in the air. Korra was the kind of person who was terrible at noticing dust and dirt (One time having actually yelled at her mom because she was so sure she had completely cleaned off a shelf only to have been told that it was still messy. To be fair she had been eight at the time). But being organized and neat was 50% of Asami’s personality and Korra wanted to make a good impression. 

Senna looked like she was about to spit out her coffee when Korra asked where the dusting rags were again.

“They’re in a bin on the bottom shelf in the hallway closet,” she stammered. Her dad also gave her a quizzical look when he passed Korra rooting around in the closet. She went into the bathroom quickly to rinse the cloth in the sink. Korra then grabbed the vacuum and gave her room a steely glare. She may not be a natural neat freak but she would damn well try. She had just put on her earbuds to listen to some music while working when Naga came barging into the room with her tail wagging energetically.

“MOM? DAD?” Korra yelled down the stairs, “Can someone please distract Naga while I'm busy?”

Tonraq yelled back: “All right! … NAAGAA! WHO WANTS TO GO FOR A WALK!?” At the sound of the word walk, the furry white ball that was Naga went careening down the stairs. Korra started taking everything off of her shelf, dusting the objects when necessary, and put them on her bed. There were books that she hadn’t read in ages, trophies from the myriad of sports tournaments that she had played in when she was younger, and pictures and mementos from visiting her family up north during the summer. The morning air was still a little bit chilly but was welcome. The air in Korra’s room was getting dustier as she moved more things around. Wiping over the empty shelves left black streaks on the cloth and clumps of white hair built up on the shelves.  _ I really should have done this more often  _ thought Korra with a sigh. Rising out the cloth and refocusing on the task at hand, she tossed out things that she deemed junky and then put everything back where it belonged. 

Korra then cleaned up her nightstand, gently dusting the lampshade and tossing out any garbage that she had laying about in her drawers. She then did the same for her desk and finally folded any clothing on the floor of her closet. All that was needed was a through vacuuming and a quick shake of her bedsheets. When Korra deemed the room clean and organized she rinsed out the dust cloth a final time and put the vacuum away.

The time on her phone read quarter to twelve and was accompanied with a message from Asami.

_ A: When do you want me to come over? I’m free whenever _

_ K: I just need to eat some lunch. anytime after 12:30 is fine _

_ A: Ok! See you soon! _

Korra smiled. She got to see Asami again without needing a real reason for inviting her over. Her joy was short-lived when the thoughts of what they would do returned. With Mako, Bolin and Opal they usually played cards, video games or indulged in some childish colouring. Korra grabbed the pack of cards and put them on her desk just in case. She opened her laptop to see if it was charged before realizing that she still had to eat some lunch. She opened the cupboard to grab some bread. Was there anything in the house that would make a quick snack? Was Asami allergic to anything? Korra was never this nervous about having anyone else over. She went to get some jam and butter from the fridge for her toast and came back to realize that she hadn’t actually put any toast in the toaster.

Korra took a deep breath and looked out the window above the sink. Why was Asami now occupying all of her thoughts again? And the nervousness of messing their friendship up was arguably worse than irrational anger. While eating her toast, Korra scoured the kitchen cupboards for some snacks. There were some apples, bananas and peaches on the counter, an unopened bag of chips, probably for watching football tomorrow evening, and a box of crackers. The crackers and the fruit should be enough. There was still ten minutes before Asami was coming over.

Korra sat down on the ottoman in front of the door to wait for Asami. She opened her phone and was going to scroll through her explore page on Instagram but ended up looking back at Asami’s profile. The date with Mako, the math competition, the car. Asami was beautiful, smart and creative. She kept scrolling through the pictures looking at Asami’s red lips, silky black hair and her green eyes. She was so focused on her phone that she failed to hear the car pull into the driveway. Korra jolted upright with shock when the doorbell rang and hastily pocketed her phone. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

“Hey, Korra!” said Asami when Korra opened the door, “It’s so good to see you again!”

“Yeah, definitely,” replied Korra, her heart still racing just from the doorbell, “Come on inside.”

Asami sat down to take off her boots and Korra offered to hang Asami’s jacket in the closet. Korra then led her friend down the hall and into the kitchen area. Senna was typing away on her computer at the kitchen table and Tonraq was sitting on the couch, watching sports on the TV.

“Hello, Asami,” smiled Senna, looking up from what she was doing.

Korra’s dad only just noticed that someone else was in the house and got up. He walked over and walked over to extend a hand to Asami. “Good afternoon,” he said after glancing over at the clock, “I forgot we were seeing you again so soon.” Asami shook his hand and the two of them seemed to relax just a little bit.

“You’ve already met my parents yesterday,” said Korra, “let's go up-”

Korra was interrupted by the sound of claws on a tiled floor as Naga ran over to investigate this newcomer. Her tail was wagging back and forth and she trotted in circles around Asami.

“Aww, is this Naga?” said Asami.

“Yes, this is my very big puppy, Naga,” smiled Korra in reply, “she gets very excited whenever someone new is over.”

Korra stood by and watched as the two girls got acquainted. Asami scratched Naga’s head who in turn sat down. The  _ thump thump  _ of Naga’s tail against the ground continued for the next couple minutes as she got lots of attention from Asami. Korra smiled and was really glad Asami liked her dog. After a generous amount of neck and belly scratches, Asami got up and she followed Korra upstairs.

Once in her room, Korra sat down on her bed while Asami stood awkwardly in the middle and looked around the room.

“Come on, you can sit down,” said Korra, patting the space on the bed beside her. Asami sat down and crossed her legs. Korra looked at the other girl’s face while Asami was still looking around the room. Asami was looking lovely as always and a little part of Korra wanted to reach out and run her hands through her glossy hair. Asami turned to look at Korra. Korra sat up a little bit straighter and tried to hide the dumbfounded expression that was written all over her face. Their eyes met–god, Asami’s were beautiful–and Asami frowned a little bit.

“You look kinda tired,” said Asami in a caring tone, “did you not sleep well?”

Korra broke eye contact. “Yeah,” she muttered, “I was awake for a while in the middle of the night and never fell back properly.” Korra tried to shake off the memories of the dream last night and regained her composure a little bit. “What do you want to do? I brought up some cards or we could maybe watch something?”

“I don’t really know…” Asami’s eyes traced around the room, looking at the trophies on Korra’s shelves, “I haven’t been over to someone’s house in a long time truthfully. We could try playing some cards. What games do you like playing?”

“Umm..” mumbled Korra, thinking over the card games she still remembered how to play.  _ Why did I bring these up without an idea of what to play. _ “Well my favourite is war but I know how to play crazy eights, rummy and thirty-one.” Asami shot the other girl a quizzical, condescending look.

“What’s that look all about?” said Korra, leaning back and raising her hands before snarkily adding “Is my knowledge of card games not adequate for you?”

“Well, the last three are fine but War? Really? Your favorite?” Asami responded. Korra looked away bashfully.

“What's wrong with it?”

“Well, it's just completely based on luck. There's no strategy involved.”

“Again, what’s wrong with that? I stick to my strengths!” Asami’s face cracked into a smile and she let loose a little giggle. 

“Luck is a strength of yours?” she asked, any previous animosity gone from her voice.

“When I’m playing card games that is.” replied Korra, crossing her arms and feeling like she won the argument. Asami opened the pack of cards and started to expertly shuffle them. Korra was pretty shocked at the display.

“How about we play a game of  _ War _ ,” the black-haired girl offered, “and then I’ll teach you to play crazy eight countdown.”

“Alright!” said Korra, “I’ll crush you!”

Asami split the deck and half and thus the two girls spent the next half hour flipping over cards. Asami came close to winning twice but Korra managed to collect all the aces and took all the remaining cards in a double tiebreaker.

“What did I tell you,” smirked Korra, “I’m just lucky when it comes to this game.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just keep telling yourself that,” Asami growled playfully, “Let's play my game now.”

Crazy eight countdown was just crazy eights but with the wild card decreasing with every win. Asami won and then took the next three games of normal crazy eights. After calling last card first for the fifth game in a row, Korra leaned over and snateched the cards out of Asami’s hand, scrutinizing the backs of them.

“What are you doing?” giggled Asami.

“Checking to see if you’re a big old cheater,” huffed Korra, the cards almost touching her nose. Satisfied that the cards were all hers, Korra looked up at Asami. “Is there anything up your sleeves? Don’t think you can hide your tricks from me.” This caused Asami to giggle more. All cerebral activity in Korra’s head stopped and she froze mid lunge.

“Do you want me to take off my sweater so you can check?” Asami asked. A blush darkened Korra’s brown cheeks as she backed away, her brain collapsing into mush at the thought of Asami’s bare torso.

“No, no, it's fine! I was kidding! It's all fine!” Korra stammered backing off. Asami stood up and stretched her legs.

“Well I’m going to anyway. I’ve got a t-shirt on underneath and your house is much warmer than mine.” Korra watched, her brain not fully recovered, as the other girl’s stomach was revealed for a second. Her abs were not nearly as prominent as Korra’s own but it was clear that she worked out often enough.  _ She’s fit. Yeah, fit. That's the word for it. _

“Do you want to do something else now, loser?” Asami asked. “You had mentioned watching something. Or if we really want to we could work on that English homework that Tenzin assigned.”

Korra put the cards in their box again and stood up as well. “Yeah, I still have that to do but I didn’t want to bore you while you’re here. Plus if I can do it Sunday before my dad and I watch some football.”

“It wouldn’t be boring. If anything I find it more fun than working alone all the time,” respond Asami, “I brought my schoolwork just in case. I just need to run out to my car and grab it.” Doing homework with Asami would be a good idea. Korra was still tired from waking up last night and it would be useful to have someone look over her work.

“Alright. It would be more fun with youuu…” started Korra, interrupted mid-sentence by a yawn, “plus I would appreciate the chance to sleep in tomorrow.”

Asami flashed a bright smile and left to go grab her stuff from her car outside. Meanwhile, Korra grabbed her binder out of her bang and went downstairs and cleared off the kitchen table. She had hinted at it twice today, but I didn’t look like Asami had many friends. At school it seemed like she lived in the auto shop while not in class and Korra had spotted her studying in the library once or twice, but every time it seemed like she was all by herself. It would make sense that the daughter of one of the county’s most important individuals would like to be out of the spotlight but it was also kind of sad to hear her talk about not having anyone to hang out with. Korra wasn’t the kind of person to hang out with dozens of people, but she couldn’t imagine living without the friends she did have.

Asami came back into the house, sat across from Korra in the space that she had cleared, opened her binder and let out a sigh after glazing around for a second. “I forgot my copy of the book at home. Can I use yours today?” In Tenzin’s class they had started  _ The Life of Pi _ that Wednesday. Korra was never a big fan of the books they read and couldn’t make sense of Shakespeare to save her life.

“Yeah, no problem. We’re doing the questions for chapters one and two this weekend, right?” responded Korra.

“Exactly,” said Asami, pulling out a lined piece of paper, “how are you finding it so far?” Korra looked at the book with a bit of disdain.

“Undecided. Too early to tell yet,” mumbled Korra as she did the same. “Though I heard from Mako-” Asami’s brow furrowed as she heard the name.  _ Shit, don’t mention him, _ thought Korra, “-said that it wasn’t great. Uh, what do you think so far?” she added quickly.

“It’s not the worst book I’ve had to read so far, but I also don’t want to say anything for certain before finishing the book,” the black-haired girl mumbled in response.

Any feelings from Mako’s name being brought up faded as the two girls worked away in silence. Korra was about halfway done the homework when the drowsiness took over. Deciding that this was something that could be finished tomorrow, she folded her arms and laid her head on the table, watching Asami work with half-closed eyes. She was certainly beautiful, the pencil resting on her pink lips as her green eyes glanced back and forth from the book to her writing.  _ Spirits, I could watch her forever, _ though Korra's eyes closed some more.

Just then, a loud grumble emanated from her stomach, causing Korra to jolt upright and Asami to stop working and look across the table. Maybe it was time for those snacks. She only had a sandwich for lunch.

“Want some snacks?” offered Korra, rubbing her eyes, “I’ll get some apple, peaches and some crackers.”

“Sounds great,” smiled Asami before bending over her work again.

Korra got up from the table and wandered over to the cupboards. She cut up an apple and a peach and poured some crackers into a small bowl.

“Thank you,” said Asami. Korra decided to at least finish some of the questions she had started. Getting some food in her stomach certainly helped her energy levels. Asami was already on the last question and Korra decided to return to watching her while dozing off.

“Hey sleepyhead.” Korra felt her arm being shaken. “You almost fell asleep. Want to head back up to your room?”

“Mhmm…” mumbled Korra before standing up dizzily and yawning the sleep away. Asami had cleared up both of their binders already. “Thanks for cleaning up,” mumbled Korra gratefully, “let’s go up now.”

As they made their way up stairs, they heard the front door open and the sound of grocery bins being placed on the ground.

“Korra, honey,” yelled Senna from the entrance, “Would Asami like to stay for dinner?” Korra turned around and looked at Asami.

“Only if I’m not intruding,” answered Asami, “Thank you for the offer!”

“You wouldn’t be intruding in the slightest!” boomed Tonraq, who also seemed to have returned, “we're more than happy to feed you!”

Asami thanked them again and Korra pulled her upstairs. Back in her room, she unplugged her laptop and flopped on her bed. “Netflix or Youtube?”

“Whatever you feel like,” responded Asami, setting up some pillows against the headboard.

“Fine. Netflix it is. Funny or serious?” asked Korra, before quickly adding, “You have to choose this time.” Asami though it over for a second before responding.

“Something funny. And please don’t get me into a long show. I don’t have a good track record with finishing them,” she added bashfully.

“Do you like John Mulaney?” asked Korra, finding a stand-up show.

“Never heard of him,” responded Asami.

“WHAT?!” yelled Korra, eyes suddenly wide with an shocked expression, “HOW?!” Asami raised her hands defensively.

“Well, I’ve heard the name but…” murmured Asami. Korra was fervently looking over what shows they had, trying to find the one that had spawned the most pop-culture references, settling on  _ Kid Gorgeous at Radio City _ . She had already seen this one twice, first with her friends and then with her parents.

“We’re watching this,” stated Korra, flipping around the laptop, “Case closed.”

“Alright,” smiled Asami, motioning for Korra to sit beside her. The two girls got comfortable and Korra pressed play.

It was very distracting watching the show with Asami right beside her. Korra was acutely aware of how close every part of her body was to Asami and the rhythm of their breathing falling in and out of sync. However, it didn’t take long for the warmth of the room and the sound of Asami’s quiet laughter to bring back the tiredness that had been plaguing Korra all day. Her head slowly drifted to Asami’s shoulder and then Korra was sound asleep.

* * *

Korra awoke to the feeling of some soft fabric against her cheek and the sound typing vibrations coming from above her head. She peeked one eye open and saw Asami’s legs stretched out in front of her.  _ Spirits, I must've fallen asleep during the show. How did I end up on Asami’s leg… I WAS SLEEPING ON ASAMI’S LEG?! _ Korra just barely resisted the urge to sit up, instead trying to twist her neck to look at the girl above her.

“Good morning Korra,” said Asami, putting her phone down. Korra sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. The sun had just set outside and streetlights had just started to turn on.

“What time is it?” asked Korra, sitting up and running her hands through her hair, “And when did I fall asleep?”

“It's almost 7 right now and you didn’t even make it 30 minutes into the show. Considering your previous outburst, you seemed to have seen this one before so I finished watching it and then moved the laptop off the bed.” Asami pointed to the floor beside her. “After that I let you use my sweater as a pillow and let you sleep.”

Korra was glad for the lack of light in the room because it felt like her ears were about to burn up from blushing so much. “What about dinner?”

“Your mom came upstairs about half an hour ago to let us know it was ready but we both decided that you should keep sleeping. You looked pretty tired all day. Dinner is sitting in the oven and we can eat whenever.”

“Thank you,” muttered Korra, the blush receding from her face as she noticed how hungry she was. She was feeling much better now. Asami made such a good pillow. “Want to go down and eat?” Asami nodded in reply and the two of them made their way downstairs.

Korra’s mom had prepared some macaroni in a casserole dish as well as some vegetables. Her parents were sitting on the couch watching a hockey game. The two girls ate their dinner in silence.

“Asami,” said Tonraq, “when do you need to be home?”

“I should leave here by 8 at the latest. I have some work to do when I get back as well,” she replied.

“Drive here yourself?” asked Tonraq, “You’ve certainly got a sweet ride.”

“Yes I did. Thanks for the compliment. I custom built most of her myself, with some help from my dad.” Asami blushed and smiled at the mention of her car.

“Why don’t you come sit over here if you’re done?” offered Senna, pointing to the empty chair. “Korra, honey, can you put the dishes away first.”

Korra put the dishes away before joining Asami who was chatting with her parents. Tonraq asked how Hiroshi, Asami’s dad, was doing. Her dad seemed to be away on a business trip at the moment. Apparently, Future Industries was working on developing a higher capacity train car for the subway system in the city as well as drafting a blueprint for a new line. The conversation then shifted to driving and cars. Korra mostly kept quiet, enduring the frequent teasing from her parents about how she should get her license soon. The conversion then meandered around to school, sports and other common interests.

Korra learned quite a few things about Asami. One, she had been in private school since grade 4 and two, she had placed in the top three nationally in judo when she was in middle school. Apparently, she could have gone on to compete internationally in highschool but she opted to keep competing provincially in major tournaments to focus on engineering more. Thirdly, Asami was planning on attending Republic City University next year and starting a job at Future Industries at the same time. Lastly, she hadn’t ever been to a professional sports game (something Tonraq and Korra were determined to fix).

It was quarter past eight by the time the conversation wrapped up. Asami rushed to quickly put on her boots and Korra brought her school supplies to her at the door. After a quick hug goodbye, the two parted ways.

“Goodnight Asami!” called Korra from the doorway.

“Goodnight,” responded Asami, “see you Monday!”

Korra smiled softly and shut the door.

* * *

Korra’s parents were still talking softly in front of the TV as she went up to her room. It was still early enough and the nap had given her some energy. She picked up her laptop, which was still on the floor, plugged it in and sprawled out on her bed. Korra folded her hands over her stomach and felt it rise and fall with her breath. _Today was good. Especially after that god-awful dream. Asami didn’t seem too uncomfortable being close to me and I don’t think I made too much of a fool of myself,_ she thought. _Then again, I panicked everytime she got near._ Korra recalled the feeling of her stomach leaping up her throat everytime she realized she was close to Asami. _Is this visceral reaction worse that the mild aura of disgust I felt three weeks ago?_ _It's hard to know._ _But it doesn’t change the fact that today was good._ _I even cleaned my room by myself!_ Remembering that moment from this morning was a small source of pride in her melancholy state.

Korra pulled her phone out of her pocket and unlocked it. It was still on Asami’s profile page and Korra was glad she hadn’t opened while she was over. There were some messages from Bolin and Opal, the first asking for help with Chemistry and the latter complaining about some pricks at her school and followed with a couple of memes. After offering help to Bolin and being told he got Mako to help him an hour ago, Korra closed her phone and rolled onto her side before unlocking and closing it a second later. Her mind only wanted to think of Asami and the day they spent together. It felt so far away though she had been here less than half an hour ago. Asami was fun to be around. She cared so much and could go from flirty to adorable at the drom of the hat.  _ Wait, was she flirting with me,  _ thought Korra, her brow furrowing. There were a couple little comments here and there. Though Asami looking oh-so-sexy, taking off her sweater was in no way intentional and letting Korra sleep would be something any friend would do.  _ Asami is just naturally charming, good-looking and kind. That’s just who she is.  _ Plus there was no way she was gay. Sure she may be good with her hands and into sports but that was nothing to go on in terms of figuring out someone’s sexuality.  _ Plus she didn’t know John Mulaney at all. Every gay knows him, right? _

After the same thoughts kept looping around in her head again, again, and again, Korra decided to at least get ready for bed to give her something to do. She brushed her hair and teeth, got changed, and said goodnight to her parents. After trying to find something to occupy her attention online, Korra decided to end her day the same way she started it: laying in the dark, earbuds in her ears, thinking about Asami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I haven't finished chapter 11 yet but I wanted y'all to have this. I've got even less time now to write so this story so updates will be even less frequent. I'll try to find the time to write more and I certainly won't forget about this but I don't want to leave you with no explanation for a few weeks. Thanks to all the people who comment on it.


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